I asked the quarantine officer this question about the Worlseya & they are bound by the law here, so no they don't send them to botanical gardens etc, or make any effort to save them, which I did recommend but it fell on ears with a lack of interest & an overwhelming view that the law is zero tolerance when it comes to quarantine. I said the law is unreasonable I'n such a case & he said yes you are exactly right, but his hands are tied...... I tried all other options like, purchasing the permit then but the law said it was too late, so the same would aply if they were a gift. The only other option is send it back, but there is a $45 surcharge & they recommended it would then be blocked at the other end quite often because there is no follow up documents or something. I found it all ridiculous, since when I ordered my seeds it was on the allowed seed list. If there is special conditions it should be on a different list for permit allowed species, I think. Steven Australia On 01/01/2012, at 11:17 AM, Lee Poulsen <wpoulsen@pacbell.net> wrote: > On Dec 31, 2011, at 3:47 PM, Steven wrote: >> >> They ceased some Worsleya recently because I didn't have a special seed import permit for threatened species, >> That was a bit disappointing ! >> >> But serves me right, I should have read the endless pages of government regulations properly. >> > > This question is half to the Australians and half to people like Paul Licht and Boyce Tankersley at major botanical gardens. > > When seeds, bulbs, or plants of an endangered species are seized, do they then destroy them? Or do they send them to the major botanical gardens to care for them. I know Paul mentioned something to this effect, and I've heard it mentioned in the past that the L.A. or San Diego Zoos sometimes gets endangered plants that were seized at customs. > > However, I have also heard that sometimes endangered plants or seeds that are seized are subsequently destroyed. Or that they are sent to some random botanical garden that may or may not know what to do with it or how to care for it. On this last point I wonder because it seems that those enthusiasts that participate on the Worsleya list have managed to figure out how to successfully germinate, grow, propagate, and flower these extremely endangered plants whereas the professionals have not managed to do this. In which case, it seems that in order to save seized Worsleyas, they should send them to some of the experts like Ron Redding or Glenn Callcott for example, although I suspect they don't. > > And if they destroy seized seeds or plants of endangered species, why did they seize them in the first place? It seems highly illogical to destroy an endangered species to keep it away from someone who didn't follow all the laws that are supposedly in place to *save* endangered species from possible extinction! > > And additionally to Paul and Boyce et al., are visitors allowed to view some of these confiscated endangered treasures that are sent to you for rescue? > > Happy New Year! > --Lee Poulsen > Pasadena, California, USA - USDA Zone 10a > Latitude 34°N, Altitude 1150 ft/350 m > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/