Wild orchids are fast disappearing due to money-driven over-exploitation in China, the China Wild Flora Conservation Association (CWFCA) has said.

Few wild orchids are left in southwest China's Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, east China's Fujian Province and central China's Hunan Province which used to be home to the valuable and beautiful wild plant, said Yu Yongfu, president of the CWFCA.

A number of rare genera of wild orchid have become endangered and only a few are still growing in remote mountainous regions, hesaid.

Enthusiasm about orchids in China and abroad lured local villagers to pick as many as they could, Yu said.

Merchants bought tons of wild orchids from villagers at a very low price and selected rare genera from them, which was sold expensively, with the rest usually thrown away.

China should stop commercial export of wild orchids since the demand in the international market is one of the major causes of over-collection in China, Yu said.

Dendrobium, a genus of orchid that has long been used as an herbal medicine by Chinese, is disappearing because of long-time excessive exploitation, he said.

Yu suggested that wild orchids be included on the list of wild flora under legal protection and the government establish nature reserves in the home of the plant.

The country also needs a seed bank for wild orchids to preserve the variety of orchids, he said.