I recently wrote to the ISI at Huntington Botanical Gardens to ask if they could send me cuttings of their Schick hybrids if I were to pay for the necessary certifications.
Their response was that due to CITES they cannot export Echinopsis at all.
My understanding is that CITES is the "Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora" (that's what their website says).
How bonkers that an internationally known botanical garden is unable to ship vegetatively propagated plants of man-made hybrids, with all phyto-certification, due to a convention to protect "Wild" flora.
How silly is that?
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For the discussion of topics related to the conservation, cultivation, propagation, exhibition & science of cacti & other succulents only.
Please respect all forum members opinions and if you can't make a civil reply, don't reply!
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Cidermanrolls
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anttisepp
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Re: How silly is that?
I had a bad trouble with customs when ordered 5 small decorative garden hybrid orchids from Thailand.
The same CITES restrictions.
The same CITES restrictions.
Etelä-Karjala, Suomi-Finland
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MatDz
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Re: How silly is that?
You just discovered why it's easier and mostly cheaper to just get some habitat collected plants posted as "home decor"... But hey, let's save the wilderness!
Mat
Re: How silly is that?
The Huntington can easily sell all the plants they produce to customers within the USA. It's a relatively small-scale operation compared with large wholesale growers. It's not worth the hassle to have to sort out CITES export paperwork and arrange a visit for a phyto when they can sell the same plants within the USA. Almost all cacti are on the CITES list as Customs can't be expected to recognise individual species but could probably recognise a cactus. Yes, it's crazy that CITES applies to plants that couldn't possibly be endangered because they don't exist in habitat but that's what we're stuck with. In an ideal world all artificially propagated cacti would be exempt from CITES.
I've bought Schicks from the Huntington and brought them back with correct CITES paperwork but this was obtained through a commercial wholesale nursery that I deal with each year. I usually buy plants from the Huntington's ISI list each year but it's easiest to do it in person. There's nothing to stops Schicks being exported from the US but to do it correctly it needs a CITES import permit, CITES export permit, a State Phyto and a Federal Phyto costing about $200 for the phytos plus UK DEFRA charges for the CITES paperwork. After that it's a case of linking your DEFRA PEACH account with whichever courier is importing the plants and keeping your fingers crossed.
Stuart
I've bought Schicks from the Huntington and brought them back with correct CITES paperwork but this was obtained through a commercial wholesale nursery that I deal with each year. I usually buy plants from the Huntington's ISI list each year but it's easiest to do it in person. There's nothing to stops Schicks being exported from the US but to do it correctly it needs a CITES import permit, CITES export permit, a State Phyto and a Federal Phyto costing about $200 for the phytos plus UK DEFRA charges for the CITES paperwork. After that it's a case of linking your DEFRA PEACH account with whichever courier is importing the plants and keeping your fingers crossed.
Stuart