Edit: This was moved from the auction forum. I've asked below that this whole discussion be deleted at this point, since half is now blank. Probably this doesn't make sense out of context. It was in response to a post suggesting that botanical gardens didn't really care if people remove material such as seeds, or even took cuttings. Although the post was out of place, it seemed that it needed a response.
I think this is the wrong place for this discussion, and hopefully one of the administrators can relocate it. The policy of the SFBG is that plant material should not be removed. I got these at least 100 ft outside the gates and perhaps it's still technically on their grounds? I don't know. Regardless, taking cuttings there is definitely not OK. It's considered vandalism. Removing fruits and seeds that are attached to the plant still, particularly if it alters the appearance of the plant, is the same as taking cuttings in my opinion. Fallen fruit and seeds is still not technically OK, inside the garden. The one time I've done this where I'm very public about it is for the variegated form of Passiflora membranacea, a pretty rare plant, which was dropping fruits on the ground. I let the SFBG know that I had taken a couple fruits, and in this case I was told that they had no interest in that variety of the species (mainly because it was slow to bloom). I think the important thing is when trading, selling or giving away plants and seeds is to be very honest about where they come from, where possible. They main exception would be a private individual who wants to maintain anonymity. If it's from a nursery or a botanical garden (even if questionable) it's important to let people know the source.
My personal policy is to not profit from plants taken from a questionable source. I make a partial exception for the variegated Passiflora membranacea, which I sell as plants (and give away as seeds) because I have let them know that I took the fallen fruit.