Re: Kirstenbosch seeds
- To: l*@ozemail.com.au, m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Re: Kirstenbosch seeds
- From: "* G* <s*@hotmail.com>
- Date: Tue, 16 Mar 1999 18:31:29 PST
Liz
receiving seed is always exciting - I grow some of the species that you
have listed but some I don't know I will have to look them up.
I have been away from the list since Dec so not sure whether you have
discussed the changes to AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection
Service) or not??
I am thinking about ordering some seeds from Silverhills (i didn't know
that Kirstenbosch had a seed exchange!! please send me details!!) but
have been hesitating because of the recent change in approach by AQIS -
in late Jan I spent some days getting my Alpine Garden Society seeds
back from them after they had been seized (they were all returned but
the time and effort required was extraordinary).
Seems that AQIS is now taking the approach of developing an 'allowed
list of plants' and only allowing those seeds through (the list is very
limited at this stage - the version on the internet in Jan didn't list
stacks of plants that are commonly grown in Australia eg peony!!) All
other seeds are seized and the onus is on the importer to prove that
they are not weeds etc (the irony is that a number of plants that I
would consider environmental weeds are on the list).
Although protecting Australia's environment is important - the
additional costs and time of the new system seem overly burdensome. The
AQIS officers I have spoken to are saying that they are going to have to
start changing private individuals for the time that it takes to
implement their new system!! They are already charging businesses.
Has anyone else had this problem??
Susan George
McCrae, Australia
>From: Liz Runciman <lizr@ozemail.com.au>
>Reply-To: lizr@ozemail.com.au
>To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
>Subject: Kirstenbosch seeds
>Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 22:50:28 +1000
>
>Just received my allocation of seeds from
>the Botanical Society of SA. Always an
>exciting time as one nurtures them full of
>hope! I wondered whether any other medit-l
>members subscribe to this society and receive
>seeds. These are some of the seeds I got
>and I'd be interested in comments from anyone
>growing these plants. Burchellia bubalina I
>know is not a medit plant but subtropical.
>However for sentimental reasons I have to
>give it a go. The others I chose mainly on
>the grounds that they tolerate shade (according
>to the notes). They are predominantly western
>Cape and thus mediterranean, so it would be
>interesting to know if other list members grow
>them. The different agapanthus sp. would be
>such an interesting change as one only sees
>the common-or-garden blue or white here,
>A. praecox I think.
>
>Agathosma gonaquensis
>Heteromorpha trifoliata
>Peddiea africana
>Tarchonanthus camphoratus
>Streptocarpus johannes
>Sparrmannia africana
>Diospyros whyteana
>Sclerochiton harveyanus
>Phylica axillaris
>Maytenus bachmannii
>Burchellia bubalina
>Helichrysum populifolium
>Lobelia pinifolia
>Agapanthus praecox ssp. minimus 'Adelaide'
>Agapanthus praecox ssp. minimus 'Storms River'
>
>Liz
>
>Liz Runciman
>3a The Crescent
>Marryatville SA 5068
>Australia tel: 61 8 8332 9035
>fax 61 8 8331 9041
>
>
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