When sending seeds overseas or to Canada, I usually write "Dried botanical material" on the customs form, or sometimes I write "Dried seeds of cultivated origin," on the principle that the longer the words are, the less they will register on the consciousness of an inspector. Some senders write "Botanical material for research purposes." All perfectly true, especially if there might be a little chaff in the seed packet. Let's hope there are no fauna beyond microscopic ones (which arrive windborne across thousands of kilometres of ocean anyway). I once received some seeds in a slide case, with actual slides at each end so it would rattle convincingly, which made me reflect that some of us did not grow up in the 1960s for nothing. I do now have proper APHIS import paperwork and can inflict it on honest seed purveyors everywhere -- until our new Congress defunds the program. Jane McGary At 07:51 AM 11/15/2014, you wrote: >>Does anyone know whether sending non-commercial cyclamen seed to a >>friend in the UK is regulated? I've often received such seed >>without trouble but have no idea about sending seed the other direction. > > > >I routinely donate cyclamen seed to the Cyclamen Society in UK. You >will need a customs sticker. The words "seeds of no commercial >value" need to be on it, and there are some other blanks to fill >out, which the post office can help you with. As long as they are >not wild-collected, it's not an issue. > >Robin Hansen >Hansen Nursery >North Bend, Oregon