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Orchid Fever: A Horticultural Tale of Love, Lust, and Lunacy
An adventure into the world of the orchid and the array of international characters who dedicate their lives to it.
The orchid is used for everything from medicine for elephants to an aphrodisiac ice cream. A Malaysian species can grow to weigh half a ton while a South American species fires miniature pollen darts at nectar-sucking bees. But the orchid is also the center of an illicit international business: one grower in Santa Barbara tends his plants while toting an Uzi, and a former collector has been in hiding for seven years after serving a jail sentence for smuggling thirty dollars worth of orchids into Britain.
The orchid is used for everything from medicine for elephants to an aphrodisiac ice cream. A Malaysian species can grow to weigh half a ton while a South American species fires miniature pollen darts at nectar-sucking bees. But the orchid is also the center of an illicit international business: one grower in Santa Barbara tends his plants while toting an Uzi, and a former collector has been in hiding for seven years after serving a jail sentence for smuggling thirty dollars worth of orchids into Britain.
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 22, 2000
71 people are currently reading
1367 people want to read
About the author
Eric Hansen
63 books87 followersEric Hansen is a travel writer, most famous for his book Stranger in the Forest: On Foot Across Borneo, about a 4,000 km trek through the heartland of Borneo. He lives in San Francisco. For 25 years he has traveled throughout Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Nepal, and Southeast Asia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
August 22, 2007
Caution: Do Not read the opening passages of this book while drinking. Or in public. Or anywhere you would be embarassed to be caught laughing out loud.
I ran around from coworker to coworker and forced them to listen to me read passages aloud. I read to myself and giggled audibly (I also chuckled, chortled, and snorted, but I don’t like to talk about that.). I knew a tiny bit about orchids and orchid growers from reading The Orchid Thief (which I also recommend), but I believed that it was an isolated incident. Boy was I wrong.
These people are crazy! It’s a flower, for pete’s squeak, not diamonds or gold. But Hansen does an excellent job drawing you in and introducing you to the orchid people. You’ll become fascinated with the intricacies of orchid law and lore, but mostly with those who flout the (admittedly wacky) rules all for the love of a flower.
There’s the sweet little old lady with tens of thousands of dollars in contraband orchids in her basement. There’s the orchid lawmakers, most of whom wouldn’t recognize an orchid if it ran up and bit ‘em on the ankle. There’s the vicious infighting and competition for the rarest bulbs. There’s the passel of government agents, armed with machine guns, no less, who tear up some guys flooring because they believe he smuggles orchids.
Who knew the passions one little flower could arouse? Do yourself a favor and check this one out. Hansen clearly is as enthralled with his subjects as they are with orchids, and that makes for a very entertaining read indeed
I ran around from coworker to coworker and forced them to listen to me read passages aloud. I read to myself and giggled audibly (I also chuckled, chortled, and snorted, but I don’t like to talk about that.). I knew a tiny bit about orchids and orchid growers from reading The Orchid Thief (which I also recommend), but I believed that it was an isolated incident. Boy was I wrong.
These people are crazy! It’s a flower, for pete’s squeak, not diamonds or gold. But Hansen does an excellent job drawing you in and introducing you to the orchid people. You’ll become fascinated with the intricacies of orchid law and lore, but mostly with those who flout the (admittedly wacky) rules all for the love of a flower.
There’s the sweet little old lady with tens of thousands of dollars in contraband orchids in her basement. There’s the orchid lawmakers, most of whom wouldn’t recognize an orchid if it ran up and bit ‘em on the ankle. There’s the vicious infighting and competition for the rarest bulbs. There’s the passel of government agents, armed with machine guns, no less, who tear up some guys flooring because they believe he smuggles orchids.
Who knew the passions one little flower could arouse? Do yourself a favor and check this one out. Hansen clearly is as enthralled with his subjects as they are with orchids, and that makes for a very entertaining read indeed
March 2, 2020
Who would have expected that the world of orchid collectors would be dangerous? Along with experiencing this rough and wacky world, in this book you will learn a lot about orchids and how endangered flora are, in theory, “protected”.
Eric Hansen introduces you to people in the orchid community and those involved in orchid politics. The book begins with an orchid hunt in Borneo, where the scientifically equipped researchers contrast significantly with their local guides. You encounter and learn of orchid lovers who have spent time in jail due to orchid “rescues”. In competitions, overweight judges coldly dismiss orchids they consider “fat”. In Turkey you can have ice cream flavored with the root of a local orchid which is said to be a potent aphrodisiac. In New York you learn how the orchid smell is measured and documented by a “nose”.
You also meet a botanical gardens director who hides his involvement in orchid smuggling, an elderly wealthy collector who rues the day he worked on international orchid preservation standards and a grower in Minnesota who seems to be one of the rare people who have actually rescued wild orchids from modern development.
Besides the everyday competition and jealousy that you find in most endeavors, the orchid community lives with CITES regulations. These international guidelines were hastily written and at the time of this book were enforced by lawyers and bureaucrats, most of whom know little about botany let alone orchards. Hansen shows how the effort they expend to preserve rare species can have the opposite effect. In order to study and/or save rare species, either the CITES and/or its enforcers are often disregarded and sometimes with great consequences. I wonder if this system is still in place.
This book is a light read. The chapters are short and the material is engagingly written. It is very good, but if you are going to read just one of Hansen’s books, read “Stranger in the Forest”
Eric Hansen introduces you to people in the orchid community and those involved in orchid politics. The book begins with an orchid hunt in Borneo, where the scientifically equipped researchers contrast significantly with their local guides. You encounter and learn of orchid lovers who have spent time in jail due to orchid “rescues”. In competitions, overweight judges coldly dismiss orchids they consider “fat”. In Turkey you can have ice cream flavored with the root of a local orchid which is said to be a potent aphrodisiac. In New York you learn how the orchid smell is measured and documented by a “nose”.
You also meet a botanical gardens director who hides his involvement in orchid smuggling, an elderly wealthy collector who rues the day he worked on international orchid preservation standards and a grower in Minnesota who seems to be one of the rare people who have actually rescued wild orchids from modern development.
Besides the everyday competition and jealousy that you find in most endeavors, the orchid community lives with CITES regulations. These international guidelines were hastily written and at the time of this book were enforced by lawyers and bureaucrats, most of whom know little about botany let alone orchards. Hansen shows how the effort they expend to preserve rare species can have the opposite effect. In order to study and/or save rare species, either the CITES and/or its enforcers are often disregarded and sometimes with great consequences. I wonder if this system is still in place.
This book is a light read. The chapters are short and the material is engagingly written. It is very good, but if you are going to read just one of Hansen’s books, read “Stranger in the Forest”
March 21, 2022
Hansen introduces the reader to various features of the contemporary world of orchid enthusiasts. He tastes orchid ice cream in Turkey, sips tea with orchid hobbyists in the U.S., interviews orchid perfumers in Japan, observes orchid contest judges, travels with orchid hunters in Borneo, etc. Each fast moving chapter had a different focus. 3.5 stars
August 29, 2013
this book started out like gangbusters and was laugh out loud funny but then it lost the fun thread and started to be more obsessively about government regulations and how dumb they are and how ultimately they are going to destroy rare orchids, not protect them. But the first half ofthe book is definitely a great read.
January 7, 2016
An enjoyable, pleasantly written romp through the weird world of orchid hunters, breeders, and thieves. Recommended for amateur orchid enthusiasts.
January 11, 2012
I love orchids! I certainly don't see myself as the kind of person who would kill others or break the law in any terrible way in pursuit of that passion however it has been one of the great pleasures of living in SE Asia that orchids are everywhere and I must admit to having slipped the odd one for transplantation in my garden over international borders. This book was handed to me by a friend who lives in Indonesia who had witnessed such a minor crime of passion and so thought I might be interested in this tale.
There is also another line of convergence here aside from my passionate enjoyment of the pure beauty which orchids can offer. I have noted after some decades of living in Asia the decimation of wildlife through the now illegal trade of animals and animal products. I have always therefore been a strongly vocal supporter of CITES as a way of ameliorating rapine practices in the wild for the achievement of either profit or a better erection. It may not surprise anyone that while I have been developing this stance about wildlife I have also evolved a position about the corrupt, bureaucratic, unaccountable, and generally incompetent activities of many, many (the greater proportion in my opinion) NGO's and UN functionaries who seem far more interested in their inflated salaries, obscene allowances and living the expatriate high life while they wild tremendous power over their various domains than actually doing anything practically useful.
Imagine my surprise when all of this came together in this obscure book where the idiocy of putting the evolution of anything meaningful let alone its administration into the hands of these people is lauded so loudly and clearly. The CITES as drafted to cover plants including orchids was ineptly adapted by lawyers and bureaucrats who though overpaid were certainly less than qualified to comment. The result is very bad legislation which in fact contributes actively to the destruction of the very plant species it claims to protect from groups of ardent if sometimes fanatical enthusiasts whose work does far more good than harm. Their entire combined yearly activity would do significantly less damage than the clearing of a single logging site anywhere in the world. These people who would at their own cost "rescue" all endangered or rare plants from suc a site at their own expense are in fact prohibited from doing so by CITES.
Add that kind of idiocy to the millions spent on maintaining poorly trained officials who enforce the legislation with nothing less than Draconian zeal, often on behalf of power brokers from so called "scientific institutions" who are pursuing their own agendas, personal political and otherwise and you get the picture.
The frustration in all of this is that a single person capable of common sense with the appropriate authority could rewrite the legislation so it fitted the circumstances and establish a body which for a fraction of the current enforcement costs could harness the good will of the many enthusiasts who are well known towards the actual preservation of species under threat, which after all was supposed to be the purpose of the CITES initiative in the first place. This of course goes without consideration of those in the international arena with their noses in the particularly lush trough that goes with the conferences, position and perks related to the staus quo. They would certainly fight tooth and nail to keep the flow coming...who cares about the plants when their wallet is at stake.
There is also another line of convergence here aside from my passionate enjoyment of the pure beauty which orchids can offer. I have noted after some decades of living in Asia the decimation of wildlife through the now illegal trade of animals and animal products. I have always therefore been a strongly vocal supporter of CITES as a way of ameliorating rapine practices in the wild for the achievement of either profit or a better erection. It may not surprise anyone that while I have been developing this stance about wildlife I have also evolved a position about the corrupt, bureaucratic, unaccountable, and generally incompetent activities of many, many (the greater proportion in my opinion) NGO's and UN functionaries who seem far more interested in their inflated salaries, obscene allowances and living the expatriate high life while they wild tremendous power over their various domains than actually doing anything practically useful.
Imagine my surprise when all of this came together in this obscure book where the idiocy of putting the evolution of anything meaningful let alone its administration into the hands of these people is lauded so loudly and clearly. The CITES as drafted to cover plants including orchids was ineptly adapted by lawyers and bureaucrats who though overpaid were certainly less than qualified to comment. The result is very bad legislation which in fact contributes actively to the destruction of the very plant species it claims to protect from groups of ardent if sometimes fanatical enthusiasts whose work does far more good than harm. Their entire combined yearly activity would do significantly less damage than the clearing of a single logging site anywhere in the world. These people who would at their own cost "rescue" all endangered or rare plants from suc a site at their own expense are in fact prohibited from doing so by CITES.
Add that kind of idiocy to the millions spent on maintaining poorly trained officials who enforce the legislation with nothing less than Draconian zeal, often on behalf of power brokers from so called "scientific institutions" who are pursuing their own agendas, personal political and otherwise and you get the picture.
The frustration in all of this is that a single person capable of common sense with the appropriate authority could rewrite the legislation so it fitted the circumstances and establish a body which for a fraction of the current enforcement costs could harness the good will of the many enthusiasts who are well known towards the actual preservation of species under threat, which after all was supposed to be the purpose of the CITES initiative in the first place. This of course goes without consideration of those in the international arena with their noses in the particularly lush trough that goes with the conferences, position and perks related to the staus quo. They would certainly fight tooth and nail to keep the flow coming...who cares about the plants when their wallet is at stake.
August 12, 2014
A lot of interesting information and interesting characters that inhabit the world of orchids. Hansen conveys the information in short, tidy chapters from his personal experiences and interviews. This is a clear example of unintended consequences of rule making. I haven't been able to figure out if anything has changed since this book was published in 2000.
Hansen sometimes reaches a little too hard for a laugh.
Hansen sometimes reaches a little too hard for a laugh.
July 6, 2024
An awesome read, very culturally informative.
Read
August 15, 2024DNF
I think if you are passionate about Orchids, this is the book for you. I am not, so it was not.
I think if you are passionate about Orchids, this is the book for you. I am not, so it was not.
April 6, 2025
Liked it more than I realized I would!
December 9, 2018
'A Horticultural Tale of love,Lust and Lunacy'.
Lubricious. Paphiopedilum sanderianum, is my favorite. Very good read.
Lubricious. Paphiopedilum sanderianum, is my favorite. Very good read.
February 27, 2019
Hansen offers a humorous and informative look into not only the different species of orchids but to the types of people who revere them. He explores the orchid world with the fascinated intensity of a boy picking up a rock exposing the wriggling creatures underneath. The stories run the spectrum from strange and intriguing to beautiful and funny. You’ll learn about a delicacy, Turkish orchid ice cream and step into a world where orchid smugglers have the spy skills of MI-6.
In each chapter headed by an illustration of a different species of orchid, Hansen covers a subject who is dedicated to orchids in one way or another. He interviews the likes of a grower in Borneo, botanists at Kew Gardens, scientists in Copenhagen, and a recluse in Paris.
One of his most amusing stories has an esteemed and dignified orchid scientist taking a swing at a customs official over a dead orchid specimen that was collected a hundred years before. Another has Hansen trying to discern the difference between orchid fragrances. One of my favorite descriptions has him describing a certain orchid bloom as smelling “like raspberry jam spread on a toasted English muffin (torn not sliced).”
Hansen is a skilled and entertaining writer well-equipped to take the reader on a stroll through the orchid world. His wry sense of humor provides an excellent commentary on the orchid world’s inhabitants.
In each chapter headed by an illustration of a different species of orchid, Hansen covers a subject who is dedicated to orchids in one way or another. He interviews the likes of a grower in Borneo, botanists at Kew Gardens, scientists in Copenhagen, and a recluse in Paris.
One of his most amusing stories has an esteemed and dignified orchid scientist taking a swing at a customs official over a dead orchid specimen that was collected a hundred years before. Another has Hansen trying to discern the difference between orchid fragrances. One of my favorite descriptions has him describing a certain orchid bloom as smelling “like raspberry jam spread on a toasted English muffin (torn not sliced).”
Hansen is a skilled and entertaining writer well-equipped to take the reader on a stroll through the orchid world. His wry sense of humor provides an excellent commentary on the orchid world’s inhabitants.
July 11, 2023
I love non-fiction, anthologies, and the incredibly interwoven intricacies that can give you short tidbits yet maintain the insane universe that both sides exist in the same timeline. Absolutely amazing even 20+ years later!
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.
.
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I’m jumping the gun, but we still have to wait a little under ten years for the potential Azadehdel correspondence with Kew? I’m going to keep following this, thank you Mr. Hansen!
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.
.
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I’m jumping the gun, but we still have to wait a little under ten years for the potential Azadehdel correspondence with Kew? I’m going to keep following this, thank you Mr. Hansen!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2020
Was an okay book, once you accept that the author is a white man and all that entails (this is g-d non-fiction, and you’re going to describe the two orchid-related women you meet in terms that, were this a romance, mean you’re going to end up married???? Pppfffffttt. And the native tribes of Borneo were his friends, but yet they still get Noble Savage treatment...for shame).
December 19, 2024
Fascinating book not as much on orchids as it is on two groups of people, “the orchid people” and “the orchid police.” Though botany is definitely covered and I learned a lot about orchids, the focus of the book are two very different groups of people that I think even people not interested in botany might want to read about.
First, the orchid people are to me the true stars of the group, often “a crazy, whacked-out group of people” that author Eric Hansen found were “horticultural extremists” and “a vast and far-flung horticultural cult” that included “rapacious nurserymen, international plant smugglers, pollen thieves, eccentric botanists, corrupt orchid judges, legendary collectors and growers, misfits, groupies, and camp followers galore.” Much of the book is a series of chapters centering around colorful orchid people, telling stories of how they became interested in orchids, their roles in orchid study, conservation, and commerce, the author teasing out stories of rather intensely personal politics in the world of the orchid people, going behind the scenes of judging at orchid shows, writing a chapter on Tom Nelson and his one-man crusade to save orchids slated to be destroyed by development in Minnesota (“has legally salvaged more than 15,000 native orchids from dozens of sites around the state”), and learning the truth behind infamous orchid smugglers and pirates (often not at all what was reported in the popular press).
The coverage of the orchid people pointed to the other reoccurring theme of the book (besides the fact that many of the orchid people are at least rather eccentric) and that is the rules governing study, trade, and conservation of orchids are broken and many so-called orchid smugglers were nothing of the kind (or if they were trying to get around ridiculous laws, they were in honest, good-faith pursuits of orchid study and conservation or were trading formerly quite-legal greenhouse-grown orchids suddenly declared “endangered” on little to no data). Again and again Hansen discussed CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). CITES was originally designed to regulate trade in animals, but almost at the last minute it was written to regulate trade in plants as well. Written and administered by lawyers and law enforcement personnel who know nothing about botany (or when botanists were involved, the turbulent politics of the orchid world often ensured there was corruption), the author wrote that “there was simply no reliable data to support the argument that CITES and similar efforts had reduced smuggling, saved any orchid species from extinction, helped protected orchid habitats, or even salvaged orchid plants facing the certain destruction of their habitats.” Instead, they were “an army of entrenched bureaucrats who were bent on perpetuating misguided conservation laws that were contributing to the destruction of orchids growing in the wild” as CITES not only failed to actually protect any orchids, but had a very destructive effect on sending orchids to other countries for legitimate study, prevented people from saving orchids from being destroyed in construction projects, and even stopped some trade in commercially grown orchids that were not collected from the wild. As the book was published in 2000, I wonder if there has been any improvement since then.
As dark and sad as this theme was, the book was far from dark overall. In addition to the many eccentric and delightful people Hansen profiled, the reader learns about salepi dondurma (“fox testicle ice cream”) in a chapter devoted to the subject, Turkish ice cream made from orchids, and a Mr. Katsuhiko Tokuda from Japan who creates perfumes based on the scent of orchids, the reader learning about things such as fragrance cycles of orchids, fragrance fingerprints, and the differences between the top, middle, and base notes of fragrances. Also coverage of some of the unusual pollination strategies of various orchids and their complicated relationships with insect pollinators.
First, the orchid people are to me the true stars of the group, often “a crazy, whacked-out group of people” that author Eric Hansen found were “horticultural extremists” and “a vast and far-flung horticultural cult” that included “rapacious nurserymen, international plant smugglers, pollen thieves, eccentric botanists, corrupt orchid judges, legendary collectors and growers, misfits, groupies, and camp followers galore.” Much of the book is a series of chapters centering around colorful orchid people, telling stories of how they became interested in orchids, their roles in orchid study, conservation, and commerce, the author teasing out stories of rather intensely personal politics in the world of the orchid people, going behind the scenes of judging at orchid shows, writing a chapter on Tom Nelson and his one-man crusade to save orchids slated to be destroyed by development in Minnesota (“has legally salvaged more than 15,000 native orchids from dozens of sites around the state”), and learning the truth behind infamous orchid smugglers and pirates (often not at all what was reported in the popular press).
The coverage of the orchid people pointed to the other reoccurring theme of the book (besides the fact that many of the orchid people are at least rather eccentric) and that is the rules governing study, trade, and conservation of orchids are broken and many so-called orchid smugglers were nothing of the kind (or if they were trying to get around ridiculous laws, they were in honest, good-faith pursuits of orchid study and conservation or were trading formerly quite-legal greenhouse-grown orchids suddenly declared “endangered” on little to no data). Again and again Hansen discussed CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). CITES was originally designed to regulate trade in animals, but almost at the last minute it was written to regulate trade in plants as well. Written and administered by lawyers and law enforcement personnel who know nothing about botany (or when botanists were involved, the turbulent politics of the orchid world often ensured there was corruption), the author wrote that “there was simply no reliable data to support the argument that CITES and similar efforts had reduced smuggling, saved any orchid species from extinction, helped protected orchid habitats, or even salvaged orchid plants facing the certain destruction of their habitats.” Instead, they were “an army of entrenched bureaucrats who were bent on perpetuating misguided conservation laws that were contributing to the destruction of orchids growing in the wild” as CITES not only failed to actually protect any orchids, but had a very destructive effect on sending orchids to other countries for legitimate study, prevented people from saving orchids from being destroyed in construction projects, and even stopped some trade in commercially grown orchids that were not collected from the wild. As the book was published in 2000, I wonder if there has been any improvement since then.
As dark and sad as this theme was, the book was far from dark overall. In addition to the many eccentric and delightful people Hansen profiled, the reader learns about salepi dondurma (“fox testicle ice cream”) in a chapter devoted to the subject, Turkish ice cream made from orchids, and a Mr. Katsuhiko Tokuda from Japan who creates perfumes based on the scent of orchids, the reader learning about things such as fragrance cycles of orchids, fragrance fingerprints, and the differences between the top, middle, and base notes of fragrances. Also coverage of some of the unusual pollination strategies of various orchids and their complicated relationships with insect pollinators.
May 5, 2018
I did not expect to enjoy and love this book as much as I actually did! It was a very funny and intriguing read that kept me hooked beginning to end. Hansen did an absolutely amazing job incorporating amazing stories of orchid enthusiasts around the world to easily teach readers detailed information about orchids that otherwise would have been difficult and boring for the readers to digest. Not only was this an intelligent tactic that he used to educate readers, but it also helped keep the reader engaged and wanting to know what else was going to happen through the rest of the book. This books provides all readers an inside look of how botany, particularly geared towards orchids, really is. There is a great amount of unknown activity that actually goes on in the botany world, and some of it remains generally unknown because it is underground- at one point Hansen mentions that it is actually comparable to the illegal drug trade as many people have underground gardens and businesses to grow different varieties of orchids despite laws and regulations on what orchids can and cannot be grown.
This seems to be the overall idea of the book as well. Although I originally thought I would be reading a book focused more on the details about the orchid plant itself, Hansen made the read so much more interesting with focuses on the political and legal issues surrounding the flower plant, and the people who sell and trade these plants. Through the silly little jokes, Hansen eased the reader into the actual depths of his research. He illustrated the secret battles that a lot of people who dream of, steal, and secretly grow certain orchid plants despite CITES enforcements to prevent it, or only allow it if they were to receive monetary gain. Whether it be the unfair regulations that CITES has, and the actions that they are willing to take when made aware of rule breakers, it is truly upsetting to see how far these things have gotten in terms of orchid trading and the repercussions of it.
This book is definitely an easy read for amateurs who are not too well aware of the plant world, and the material is enough to keep you interested. It is definitely a book that every orchid enthusiast should take a hold of, and even a good book for anyone who is interested in orchids, or wants to learn more about the actual legalities of orchid growing and trading. Definitely a fun and easy read that does get the point across by the end of the day.
This seems to be the overall idea of the book as well. Although I originally thought I would be reading a book focused more on the details about the orchid plant itself, Hansen made the read so much more interesting with focuses on the political and legal issues surrounding the flower plant, and the people who sell and trade these plants. Through the silly little jokes, Hansen eased the reader into the actual depths of his research. He illustrated the secret battles that a lot of people who dream of, steal, and secretly grow certain orchid plants despite CITES enforcements to prevent it, or only allow it if they were to receive monetary gain. Whether it be the unfair regulations that CITES has, and the actions that they are willing to take when made aware of rule breakers, it is truly upsetting to see how far these things have gotten in terms of orchid trading and the repercussions of it.
This book is definitely an easy read for amateurs who are not too well aware of the plant world, and the material is enough to keep you interested. It is definitely a book that every orchid enthusiast should take a hold of, and even a good book for anyone who is interested in orchids, or wants to learn more about the actual legalities of orchid growing and trading. Definitely a fun and easy read that does get the point across by the end of the day.
August 19, 2022
A gem of a book. First published in 2000, the author details his journey to learn more about orchids; the people who go to great extents to conserve, care, trade, or discover orchids; and the orchid police who follow blindly well-intentioned but poorly thought through CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species) regulations.
The author travels the world, to Borneo, many parts of Europe, the United States, talking with conservators whose gone to great length to protect and propagate orchids only to have flack-suited police with machine guns invade their nurseries and remove plants that may have violated CITES regulations. We hear of scientists whose work is disrupted because of these rules, unable legally to import a sample, thus reverting to illegal means, then fined an exorbitant amount of money for their transgression. We learn it is illegal to move an orchid from a construction site to conserve it; it is perfectly find bulldoze the site, killing the species there (again, thanks to CITES).
Through the author’s multiyear educational journey, we learn about individuals who judge orchids, all too often on size; or those who specialize in smelling them, through the three of four layers of scents; to the person who invented a perfume from one species, sold only in Japan because its scent would mean nothing to those outside of the country.
And we hear about the human competition, often pitting those in museums against individual collectors, even sending the police against competitors. And even in Minnesota, we find petty and misunderstood jealousy between “community groups” aimed at saving orchids against an individual orchid rescuer, sanctioned by the state to do so.
The title of the book, Orchid Fever, comes when the author gets so caught up in the personal stories, craving to hear more of them, that he is told he has orchid fever.
The author’s writing style is lively and engaging, bringing the reader into the journey.
FB. A fascinating collection of adventures on the author’s journey to learn about the plants, the people who collect them, and those who enforce ill suited laws governing trade. The author’s writing style is lively and engaging. A terrific adventure, where the book’s subtitle says it all.
Note: I purchased this book, thinking I would have an orchid subplot in my story. I decided I did not need it. But wow, what a crazy group of orchid addicts!
The author travels the world, to Borneo, many parts of Europe, the United States, talking with conservators whose gone to great length to protect and propagate orchids only to have flack-suited police with machine guns invade their nurseries and remove plants that may have violated CITES regulations. We hear of scientists whose work is disrupted because of these rules, unable legally to import a sample, thus reverting to illegal means, then fined an exorbitant amount of money for their transgression. We learn it is illegal to move an orchid from a construction site to conserve it; it is perfectly find bulldoze the site, killing the species there (again, thanks to CITES).
Through the author’s multiyear educational journey, we learn about individuals who judge orchids, all too often on size; or those who specialize in smelling them, through the three of four layers of scents; to the person who invented a perfume from one species, sold only in Japan because its scent would mean nothing to those outside of the country.
And we hear about the human competition, often pitting those in museums against individual collectors, even sending the police against competitors. And even in Minnesota, we find petty and misunderstood jealousy between “community groups” aimed at saving orchids against an individual orchid rescuer, sanctioned by the state to do so.
The title of the book, Orchid Fever, comes when the author gets so caught up in the personal stories, craving to hear more of them, that he is told he has orchid fever.
The author’s writing style is lively and engaging, bringing the reader into the journey.
FB. A fascinating collection of adventures on the author’s journey to learn about the plants, the people who collect them, and those who enforce ill suited laws governing trade. The author’s writing style is lively and engaging. A terrific adventure, where the book’s subtitle says it all.
Note: I purchased this book, thinking I would have an orchid subplot in my story. I decided I did not need it. But wow, what a crazy group of orchid addicts!
December 7, 2025
Another random book that I picked up at my client’s house to read when I’m bored. However, I LOVED this!!!! Funny how it started in Borneo (Indonesia/Malaysia, where my mom’s family is from) and ends in Minnesota (where my dad and his relatives are from). I could not tell if this book was fact or fiction with how absurd everything is and did not want to know until the end. I had hoped it was real and that these eccentric individuals exist, yet was impressed that if it was fiction, the author truly went into the nitty gritty details into creating such eccentric characters. The book really reminds me of the Confucious quote “A common man marvels at uncommon things, a wise man marvels at the commonplace.” Where such seemingly unassuming people, and a rather common well known flower (always seeing them in the grocery store) have such deep and wild backstories to them. When you see the situation as normal people obsessed with a flower, it makes the details in between, all the more extraordinary. People should be less like the researcher that got mad that another researcher named an orchid after an Indonesian that was native to the same place as the orchid over some dutch research (because why on god’s green earth, are you continuing the legacy of dutch colonialism 🤨‼️) but more people should be like Tom from Minnesota — super chill, and conserving native plants from exponential land destruction and development due to the late-stage capitalism in the U.S. I need to see a fictionalized TV series adaptation and a documentary based on this book rn!!!!!
July 26, 2021
Eric Hansen has his interest piqued by a couple of orchid hunters/scientists who pay him to lead them into the wilds of Borneo (setting of his book, "Stranger in the Forest") and regale him with tales of plant hunters gone wild (murder, mayhem, run-ins with the law). As Hansen begins his own research into orchids and their fanciers, he learns that most of these tales are true. He shares his own compelling tales of orchids, orchid collectors (fanatics), and the legal systems (CITES) that thwart them all in the interest of conservation and preservation. Fascinating, funny, and infuriating. Readers will emerge ravenous for more.
This came out a couple of years after Susan Orlean's bestselling, "The Orchid Thief," which touches upon some of the same topics. Orchid people are weird (some delightfully so)! Fans of her book will want to check this one out, too.
This came out a couple of years after Susan Orlean's bestselling, "The Orchid Thief," which touches upon some of the same topics. Orchid people are weird (some delightfully so)! Fans of her book will want to check this one out, too.
April 26, 2018
Having read BOTH the Orchid Thief and The Scent of Scandal, I was disappointed in this book. Great for research on the inanity of the regulatory system that governs the import and export of orchids... as in, better for them to be plowed under by progress than collected by commercial or scholarly institutions....but it took 75 pages of a 275 page book before the first real "story" about orchids. Following there were anecdotes, some more amusing than others, but the only storyline was the writer's "discovery" of orchid insanity. If you want to appreciate the crazy. Susan Orleans or Craig Pittman's books do the trick in an entertaining fashion. If you are writing your own book about Orchids, you'll need all three!
June 2, 2020
Significantly flawed in both content and execution. The book abounds with racist, sexist, classist and fatphobic charicatures of real-life people. Hansen seems to take particular pleasure out of exaggeration and mockery, which diminishes the legitimacy and/or validity of his work somewhat. That being said, he does a good job of highlighting the ridiculous bureaucracy of CITES and other institutions in regulating plant trade under the guise of "conservation". Some regulations unfortunately often end up ignoring or disregarding the actualities and realities of on-the-ground conservation and research efforts.
July 28, 2023
re-read from when I was in the midst of my orchid “craze”. Still interesting. Learned a lot about what’s going on with orchid preservation, and lack there-of, including the dysfunction of the group (CITES) that is supposed to be protecting them: I soon discovered that many convicted ‘smugglers’ were the real conservationists, and that certain well-positioned ‘conservationists’ were smuggling plants with the help of fake CITES permits for ‘scientific study’ and then selling the plants. “ page 203.
Also, he mentions an intriguing Japanese orchid-based perfume: Tentatrice (which translates as temptress)
Also, he mentions an intriguing Japanese orchid-based perfume: Tentatrice (which translates as temptress)
May 24, 2019
This book was way outside my comfort zone not being an avid orchid lover,but despite all the Latin names and horticultural jargon Eric Hansen has written a wonderful tale about the "blind rage, crippling jealousy,and wild exaggeration commonplace in the quirky and insular world of orchids growing".
I
Full of eccentric characters my favorite has to be the woman who sniffs an exotic yellow bloom and declares,..." now that is a flower that just makes you want to take your clothes off and roll around on it. "
I
Full of eccentric characters my favorite has to be the woman who sniffs an exotic yellow bloom and declares,..." now that is a flower that just makes you want to take your clothes off and roll around on it. "
December 22, 2019
An unusual sort of book for me...I think I picked it up at some point at a thrift store for 25 cents, recognizing the title from having read a short excerpt in an online course I took. I don't usually go for this journalistic-type book, but this one was interesting enough. The world of orchid hunters, growers, sellers, and regulators is a complicated and bizarre one, and the people obsessed with orchids are as varied, colorful, and strange as the flowers themselves. Also an excellent case study in bureaucratic wildlife management gone painfully, absurdly wrong.
May 20, 2021
Absolutely phenomenal read. A well-organized, fun, and fast-paced delve into the world of Orchid fanaticism, conservation, and CITES bureaucracy. The individual chapters ate structured around the strange individuals who make up the orchid world, and the bizarrely harrowing adventures undertaken in the name of orchid obsession.
Just super fun, really accessible, and generally informative. Who knew so many people weirdly sexualized these random and difficult plants! Trigger warning for beaurocratic bullshit in the form of CITES.
Just super fun, really accessible, and generally informative. Who knew so many people weirdly sexualized these random and difficult plants! Trigger warning for beaurocratic bullshit in the form of CITES.
April 16, 2024
Some of it was so intriguing. Like the Orchid Ice Cream. Or the Orchid Perfume. So fun to read about.
Then there were the government parts. Yes, you cannot be a grower of orchids without government involvement. There are these orchid “police” called CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Whenever the author wrote about them which was ALL TOO OFTEN, in my humble opinion, I wanted to throw the book against the wall. I realize I’m only hearing one side of the story. But I can say I wish the book didn’t include them SO STINKING MUCH.
Then there were the government parts. Yes, you cannot be a grower of orchids without government involvement. There are these orchid “police” called CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Whenever the author wrote about them which was ALL TOO OFTEN, in my humble opinion, I wanted to throw the book against the wall. I realize I’m only hearing one side of the story. But I can say I wish the book didn’t include them SO STINKING MUCH.
November 27, 2017
I was expecting this book to be more about the orchids themselves but it was actually more a out the people who collect and trade and sell orchids. It seems as though there is quite a lot of people who are interested in orchids and in some cases it can be a very lucrative business but there are also a lot of people who are criminally charged for not having the right paperwork etc. Anyway, I learned quite a bit about the orchid trading business. I enjoyed reading this book.
August 3, 2025
Written in a vignette, episodic structure, Hansen takes you around the globe, starting in Borneo and ending in Minnesota. Hansen builds the orchid world through an enthralling cast of characters and navigated you through the conflicts between conservation, politics, and the law. The book is a fabulous story of the orchid flower’s most ardent, reverent, and passionate lovers and the product is amazing. The balance between humanity, botany, and modernity is well struck.
August 30, 2017
I found this to be a perfect non-fiction book: (1) a very interesting topic about which I knew very little; (2) easy to read, and divided up into easy to digest chapters; (3) filled with colorful and memorable characters. Hansen has great fun with his subject, ushering us into the weirdly obsessive world of orchids.
February 18, 2018
This was an unusual look at the orchid industry. I had no idea of the amount of politics and regulations that are involved in the growing, selling, and studying of the orchid. While some parts were more technical than I (a non-orchid grower or scientist) wanted, I could still understand the concepts and overall picture of the industry.
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