A. Species
Scientific name: Orchis mascula
Common name(s): Early purple orchid
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status:
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Greece
Country/Region:
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: Sub-national / Sub-region / Sub-State
Name/Details of location: Ioannina, Grevena, Kozani and Thessalonika
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 2010
End Year: 2015
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Gathering/Cutting/Collecting terrestrial plants and fungi or their products from the wild
Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: Only parts or products of the organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed and Medicine and hygiene
Motivation of use: Income generation from trade (individual/household/community) and Traditional/Cultural/Spiritual
Is this use legal or illegal?: Illegal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people and National / local private sector
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The author's state that the harvest of orchid tubers in Greece are using unsustainable harvest practices. However, they do not comment on Orchis mascula specifically.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
The author's suggest that local propagation and cultivation of Orchis mascula should be used in order to reduce pressure on wild populations, while still providing a source of income for local people in Greece.
Record source
Information about the record source: scientific_pub
Date of publication/issue/production: 2016-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
Date of record entry: 2025-06-19