Mary Sue wrote: >> Some of them are supposed to be toxic to animals and I can't ever remember if that is the reason they are not supposed to be imported to the USA or if it is the weed potential or both. As near as I can tell, the Homeria ban in the US was put in place after a company made a request to import commercially-grown oats from Australia that might have been contaminated by seeds (and bulblets?) of Homerias that have naturalized in the fields there. I can see the sense in banning large-scale imports of seeds that animal owners would spread on the ground (and that farm animals might eat & then excrete all over the fields). Supposedly that's how star thistle got into California. But I have trouble understanding how that translates into a ban on me sending a corm to that reckless scofflaw Jim in Kansas City, where Homeria would survive only as a treasured greenhouse plant. The law appears to be a very blunt instrument. By the way, the Homeria ban almost turned into a ban on all Moraeas when the two genera were merged, but that was diverted by Joyce Fingerut at the North American Rock Garden Society. Thanks, Joyce! Mike San Jose, CA Here's the reference: http://nap.edu/openbook.php/… Summary of a Risk Assessment of Cape Tulip Introduction. Homeria, or cape tulip, of which there are 30-40 species, are native to South Africa and are widely propagated as ornamentals. An assessment was initiated by a request to import oats from Australia that might contain Homeria spp. In Australia, these species are weeds. They produce glycosides that are poisonous to livestock and humans. Potential impacts of cape tulips include livestock poisoning, reduced crop yield, changes in plant community structure, human poisoning, and increased use of herbicides to control the plants after their establishment.