Seed Import Problems affecting Seattle APHIS

Submitted by Jeddeloh on Wed, 02/05/2020 - 13:00

Hi all,

Since this is a the propagation board I'll assume some of you  "seedy characters"  also belong to SRGC and AGS and order seed from their seed exchanges.  There has been a big glitch for those of us whose seed goes through the Seattle APHIS inspection station.  The APHIS inspectors are pulling large numbers of taxa because of "unknown fungus".  Some people have about half their order taken. In previous years typically none was confiscated.  

Joyce Fingerhut, NARGS Seed Wrangler Extraordinaire, has been in contact with the Seattle Aphis Station and is trying to figure out what the problem is.  If you use the Seattle station for your inspections it would help her if you provided her with your import permit number and a list of the confiscated genera.  Her email is [email protected]. 

If anyone can figure out the problem it's Joyce.  We all owe her a big debt of gratitude for all she does to keep seed flowing.
 
As for me I'm still waiting for seed.  
 
Jan Jeddeloh
 

Comments

Submitted by Fermi on Wed, 02/05/2020 - 21:40

Hopefully it's not the sort of problem that I heard about in Australia (about 30 years ago) when we met a customs inspector on a garden tour who slyly mentioned that he had a few very interesting things in his garden which he'd brought home from work!!!

cheers

fermi

Submitted by Jeddeloh on Sat, 02/08/2020 - 16:24

My SRGC seed finally came today. None of it was confiscated, in fact I received tecophilia and Lilium lijiangense seed that a friend had confiscated. It was however inspected after Joyce had talked to the Seattle station about the problem. I just looked at my tecophilia and lily seed and it looks just fine.  No reason to suspect it might have fungus.  Curiouser and curioser.