KUNMING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 600 endangered wild orchids have been seized by customs authorities in southwest China's Yunnan Province, they said Thursday.

A Vietnamese national, who carrying a large carton, attempted to leave the country through Tianbao Port in Kunming, capital of Yunnan on Wednesday, without declaring the item, according to customs officers.

The officers x-rayed the carton and found a total of 598 alive wild orchids packed inside.

The species of wild orchid is listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and international trade is banned.

Further investigation is underway.