The Orchid Thief

The Orchid Thief is a nonfiction book by Susan Orlean, originally published in 1998. It is a narrative nonfiction account of the crimes and trial of John Laroche, accused of stealing endangered orchid species from the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve in Florida. The basic story of Laroche and his crimes originally ran as an article in The New Yorker, entitled “Orchid Fever” and published in 1995. The book expands the story and also details Orlean’s experiences in Florida while there to report the story. It was a New York Times bestseller and a New York Times Notable Book. In 2002, the book was adapted into a film, Adaptation, starring Nicholas Cage, Meryl Streep, and Chris Cooper.

This guide uses the Ballantine Books paperback edition published in 2000.

Summary

The first chapter introduces the court case of John Laroche for his role in stealing over 200 prized but protected plants from a swamp called the Fakahatchee Strand in south Florida. He focused particularly on an orchid called the “ghost orchid,” which he had hoped to clone and become rich from selling. Orlean gives an overview of Laroche’s life and describes the court hearing at which he is charged.

Chapter 2 tells more about Laroche and his work in the orchid business. When he was arrested, he was working as the nursery manager for the Seminole Tribe of Indigenous Americans in Florida, and Orlean explains how he came to get this job. She meets up with Laroche shortly after his court hearing, and together they go to visit a friend of his, another nursery manager. Chapter 3 describes Orlean’s visit to the Fakahatchee with a park ranger, as she wanted to see the place for herself. She had hoped to see a ghost orchid flower, but there were none to be found. This is the first of several attempts to see the flower Laroche had hoped to make millions from. Orchids themselves are the focus of Chapter 4, as the author delves into the botanical side of things: how orchids evolved and continue to thrive, as well as a description of their features and structure.

In Chapter 5, Orlean outlines the history of orchid collecting and describes some of its more eccentric figures, especially Europeans when they became interested in collecting the plant during the 19th century. Chapter 6 is about an orchid show the author attended with Laroche. She depicts him interacting with other growers and muses at the curious attraction other people have for him. In Chapter 7, Orlean discusses the history of the Fakahatchee Strand while relating the story of a second trip there to see some of the orchids stolen by Laroche that had been returned to their natural habitat. Chapters 8 and 9 are about several other orchid growers that Orlean seeks out and meets. Through these individuals, she explores the tight-knit world of orchid growers and explains some of the rivalries and controversies that are part of it.

In Chapter 10, Orlean meets an international orchid smuggler named Lee Moore and describes his life of poaching plants to send to collectors around the world. Chapter 11 is about the history of the Seminole Tribe in Florida, including the famous leader Osceola, and the tribe’s recent ventures into gambling and other businesses. She also explains how Laroche loses his job running the Seminole Tribe’s nursery and describes the tribal fair she attends.

Chapter 11 describes the South Florida Orchid Society Show Orlean attends in the company of Martin Motes, one of the orchid growers she meets in Chapter 8. In the last chapter, set just before she wraps up her reporting to return to New York, she makes a final attempt to see a ghost orchid flower. She and Laroche visit the Fakahatchee Strand the day before her flight out of Florida. They see some other orchid flowers, as well as some ghost orchid plants that are past flowering, but the ghost orchid flower continues to elude her.