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How to import?

elgecko

I've got a magic window!
There is a plant I've wanted for a long time that is very hard to find in the US. It is Drosera erythrorhiza ssp. squamosa.
I have located some tubulars of this plant, but it would be coming from Australia.
I looked around on the U.S. Customs & Border Protection site and it looks like I have to go through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I have emailed them a question about what I would have to do to get this plant into the US.
Has anyone imported any plants and what did you have to do?
 
I did put the shipper took care of it. And that was only coming from Canada.
I would try contacting some of the EU dealers that ship to the US, or even ask phil from here, he may have some input.
 
This is an issue in which you don't want to be mistaken, so this post is to bump this up to make sure everyone with some valuable input will see it. The suggestions above sound like good ones, though.
smile.gif
 
Seandew & Tony Paroubek seem to be well-versed in these matters.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (jimscott @ Dec. 16 2005,2:24)]Seandew & Tony Paroubek seem to be well-versed in these matters.
I can provide all the information you'd ever need to know if you were seeking information on importing live plant material into Australia. Unfortunately I am not well versed with the intricacies regarding the import regulations of the USA. From what I have heard, at the very least you will require a phyto-sanitary certificate, and probably also an import permit from the USDA- only a guess though.
 
Thanks for the info.
I gave up on this. I do not want to get the wrong papers and who knows if this is going to cost money just for the papers.

If anyone knows where I can get a Drosera erythrorhiza ssp. squamosa in the USA I would like to know.
 
For interests sake I had a bit of a look on the USDA website and found that all the information you need can be located in the APHIS section. You can find information both on phyto-sanitary certificates and whether or not import permits are required on specific plant types.

You would have been wasting your time trying to get relevant information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the importation of plants is not a concern of their department.

In regards to costs, it would have cost you money to obtain a phyto-sanitary certificate from Australia- I'm one of the guys who is authorized to issue them.

Good luck tracking down your tubers.
 
Thanks to a few PM's that I was sent I went ahead and tried winning the plant on ebay.
There was 3 forms of the plant listed. I got a little jumpy on the D. erythrorhiza ssp. squamosa (typical) and bid with about 2 minutes left.
I set up the other 2 D. erythrorhiza ssp. squamosa - "Sand Form" and "Laterite Form" while watching the typical I bid on.
With about 15 seconds left someone outbid me on the typical. I went ahead and placed a bid on the "Laterite From", which I won. Tried placing a bid on the "Sand Form" but someone ran it up higher then the amount I placed for the bid while not looking, went back to rebid on the typical, but by then the auction was over.
At least I got 1 of them.
smile.gif
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]At least I got 1 of them.
smile.gif

...... and..... so do you have it yet? Where's the pics? How'd the paperwork go?
 
  • #10
Actually it did not take any paper work on my end. He said he has shipped to the US before and placed "seeds" on the box and never had any problem.
Actually he offered me a second chance on the one that I missed being high bidder on. I decided to take it, so I ended up with 2 tubulars.
I got them a week or so ago. They were Drosera erythrorhiza ssp squamosa and Drosera erythrorhiza ssp squamosa "Laterite Form". I think the plant is awesome and thought I better take the second one in case I have a problem, as I might have to wait 2 years to get it again.
Here are the awesome pics of this plant:

tubular.jpg


Maybe a pic I found off the web would be better.
sl_bd30.jpg
 
  • #12
Wow elgecko, that is totaly awsome ya got the plants and i can see why now ya wanted them, the plant in the pic is just STUNNING!!! Make sure to post lots pics when ya get um growing.. They are beautiful and very cool looking...
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  • #13
Luckily you didn't have any trouble. (read ie have your package confiscated and get a nice big fine)

Tubers and I believe even seeds, although I would have to double check on that one, require an import permit from USDA. Both require a phytosanitary certificate from the country of origin.

Tony
 
  • #15
Tony,
There was some different papers attached to the box. Not sure what they were, did not really check. I was happy they arrived, and the box was thrown out after unpacking.
I hope I did not do anything improperly. Since I had no idea what I needed. I contacted 2 agencies, forget who they were now, 1 responded and told me to look at a different site. Took a look around and had no clue.
I guess I will not do that again, just in case.
 
  • #16
[b said:
Quote[/b] (elgecko @ Jan. 14 2006,9:26)]Actually it did not take any paper work on my end. He said he has shipped to the US before and placed "seeds" on the box and never had any problem.
Such information supplied by a seller should never be taken as gospel. Of course they will tell you what you want and need to hear as long as they get their money.

I've no doubt that the seller would have sent tubers to the US without the proper paperwork in the past. Placing the declaration of "seeds" on the box is the easy, illegal and deceptive way of "smuggling" live plants into the country and will be viewed by the authorities as a more serious offence than if no declaration was placed on the package at all. The seller has just been lucky that none of his packages have been intercepted in the past, that's why he hasn't had any problems.

As Tony said, you were lucky this time. Good luck with the tubers and I hope they grow well. They should begin the break dormancy within the next month or so- many of mine as just beginning now.
 
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