Wait, a Cacti Black Market Exists? How to Know If Yours Is Sustainably Sourced

我们都已经让艰难的一段时间cacti. Not only have we been loving the image of the iconic desert plant on interior wall murals and bedspread prints, but we love the cactus itself, too. Robust and relatively easy to care for, these wonderful additions to the home bring a lovelysouthwestern vibeinto any space.

Luckily for all of us, most cactus dealers—online and off—are responsible. They grow their plants from seeds and wouldn’t dream of poaching. However, ascacti are becoming increasingly popularaesthetically, cacti poaching has become a legitimate problem. That’s right: there is an actual cactus black market and trust us, you’ll want to make sure you’re not accidentally supporting it.

A recent story inPacific Standardshed light on this issue. The two main reasons poaching happens also apply to cacti. For one, the rarer something is, the more likely it is that it will be coveted and command a price on the black market. Secondly, anything that is subject to poaching is also subject to endangerment and extinction. These facts are true for cacti at the moment, especially in the southwest of the USA.

Michael Loan ofPueblo, a plant shop in Phoenix, is aware of the issue. “Cacti are really popular now, they’ve got incredible form and we think of them as living sculpture,” Loan told Apartment Therapy. “But cacti poaching, like poaching anything is a real threat to their species in the wild.”

Christian Cummings and Carlos Morera ofCactus Storein Los Angeles added, “Poachers know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

Saguaro National Park has been dealing with stolen cacti for over a decade now. When a landscaper was caught stealing 17 saguaros from the park in 2007, he was sentenced to eight months in prison for the crime. As with all crimes, though, this man could only be punished because he was caught. Poachers can be experts in discretion and difficult to find.

Due to these tracking issues, workers at Saguaro National Park started inserting microchips into these desirable cacti. Since the chipping program began, over 700 saguaros have been chipped, which has given law enforcement officials the ability to scan cacti at retailers when one goes missing. The park has publicized this tactic and hasn’t experienced a known saguaro theft ever since.

Still, other types of cacti and other public lands containing them continue to be victims of poaching. If you’d like to make sure the cactus you’re about to buy wasn’t poached, here are some tips:

Your retailer, online or off, should have a permit from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Be especially cautious of retailers based in places where cacti are not native.

These days, when a company is doing something in an ethical way, savvy brands know to promote that fact. Because of that, you’ll see a lot of cacti sellers advertising that theirs are “grown from seed” or otherwise responsibly propagated. If someoneisn’tstating something in line with ethical growing practices, take a closer look. That’s not to say you should take everything at face value—you might want to do research for all companies and retailers before you buy, no matter the brand messaging.

If you’re buying a cactus in person from a nursery and you can’t find information about where it came from, ask. Employees should be knowledgeable and reassuring. You should also keep an eye out for healthy and robust cacti, as those that are poached from the wild can look a little sad when compared to cacti that are intentionally grown, which tend to be more uniform in shape and color.