Recently, people across the United States have reported receiving unsolicited packages containing mystery seeds from China. Authorities suspect these may be an invasive species scam, where people receive seeds in the mail they didn’t order, possibly allowing harmful species into the country. If you receive a package of mysterious, unidentified seeds, it’s important to take proper precautions. Here’s what you need to know about these mystery seed packets, and what to do if you receive one.
What are these mystery seeds?
Over the past few months, all 50 states have issued warnings about unsolicited seeds shipped in packages postmarked from China. The senders’ names and addresses on the package labels are often incorrect or falsified. Most recipients say they did not order anything, and the contents are not identified. Inside the packages are small bags or envelopes containing unknown seeds of different shapes, sizes, and colors.
Authorities believe this may be an intentional effort to illegally introduce foreign plant species into the United States. Introducing invasive species can damage agriculture and natural ecosystems. China has denied involvement, suggesting the address labels could be falsified. The exact source and motive remain unclear at this time.
Why is it important to use caution with unidentified seeds?
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is advising extreme caution if you receive mystery seed packets. The reasons it’s important to use proper precautions include:
– Invasive species risk: The seeds could be an invasive plant species that harms native plants and organisms. Invasive plants can displace native plants, damage crops, or even harm human health.
– Disease risk: Unknown seeds could introduce plant diseases or pathogens to the environment. Diseases from other parts of the world can devastate native plant, animal, and human populations with no natural immunity.
– Ecosystem damage: Invasive species can potentially disrupt pollination, food chains, habitats, and entire ecosystems if they escape into the wild. Any ecological disturbances can have wide-ranging impacts.
– Agricultural harm: Invasive weeds, pests, and diseases from mystery seeds could destroy crops, trees, and agricultural products worth billions of dollars.
– Regulatory issues: Importing plant materials requires proper scientific screening and paperwork. Illegally imported seeds bypass safeguards that prevent invasion.
Caution is warranted because the true risks are unknown. If seeds escape, there could be widespread environmental and economic impacts.
What to do if you receive mystery seeds
If you receive a package of seeds you did not order, do not plant them. The USDA offers the following guidance on properly handling unsolicited seed packets:
- Do not open the seed packet and avoid opening outer packaging if possible.
- Do not plant the seeds or throw them away.
- Limit contact with the contents to avoid biological material incidents.
- Keep the labels and packaging intact for authorities to examine.
- Place the package and seeds in a sealed plastic bag and contact state or federal agricultural authorities for guidance.
- Report online to the USDA’s confidential Anti-Smuggling Hotline.
- Wait for instructions on whether the seeds should be submitted for analysis or destroyed securely.
Follow all instructions given by the USDA and your state department of agriculture. Do not investigate, dispose of, or share the seeds until told to do so. Limiting contact and containing the seeds allows proper analysis to identify invasive risks.
How to report and submit seeds
The USDA encourages recipients to report seed packages through the following channels:
– File an online report at the USDA’s Anti-Smuggling Hotline: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/pests-diseases/hungry-pests/the-fight/report-a-pest/smuggling-interdiction-and-trade-compliance
– Contact your State plant regulatory official: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/SA_State/CT_State_Plant_Regulatory_Officials
– Call the USDA Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance hotline at 800-877-3835 or email [email protected]
– Report to the FBI if the package appears suspicious: https://tips.fbi.gov
The USDA will provide instructions for packaging and shipping the seeds for identification. Do not move the seeds until told to do so. Submitting the seeds and original packaging helps identify the plant species and any risks. Analysis will determine if seeds are an invasive threat or an e-commerce scam sending cheap, non-invasive seeds.
US states affected
Unsolicited seed packages have now been reported in all 50 states. Here is a list of states affected:
| Alabama | Montana |
| Alaska | Nebraska |
| Arizona | Nevada |
| Arkansas | New Hampshire |
| California | New Jersey |
| Colorado | New Mexico |
| Connecticut | New York |
| Delaware | North Carolina |
| Florida | North Dakota |
| Georgia | Ohio |
| Hawaii | Oklahoma |
| Idaho | Oregon |
| Illinois | Pennsylvania |
| Indiana | Rhode Island |
| Iowa | South Carolina |
| Kansas | South Dakota |
| Kentucky | Tennessee |
| Louisiana | Texas |
| Maine | Utah |
| Maryland | Vermont |
| Massachusetts | Virginia |
| Michigan | Washington |
| Minnesota | West Virginia |
| Mississippi | Wisconsin |
| Missouri | Wyoming |
Authorities urge residents in all states to be vigilant about reporting seed packages received. The extent of the situation is still unknown. Tracking seed reports helps coordinate the response and identify the scope of this activity.
Investigations into mystery seeds
State and federal agencies are actively investigating the mysterious seed packages. Ongoing efforts include:
– The USDA is working with Customs and Border Protection to intercept illegal plant material being shipped into the country.
– State agriculture departments are monitoring reports and coordinating analysis of submitted seeds.
– The USDA’s Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance unit is tracking the seed shipments, origin, shipper information, and contents.
– Federal agencies including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and anti-smuggling teams are investigating potential criminal activity.
– Botanists and biologists are working to identify seeds that are submitted to labs for examination.
– Government officials are communicating with foreign counterparts, including China, to determine the source.
Investigators are treating this as a serious threat until more facts are known. The public is asked to continue reporting details about packages received to aid these efforts. Everyone has an important role in preventing invasive species introductions.
Possible motivations behind seed shipments
Authorities have proposed several explanations for the unsolicited seed packages:
– Purposeful introduction of invasive species: This could be an intentional effort by a nation or group to harm U.S. agriculture and ecosystems using invasive plant materials. However, no direct evidence supports this currently.
– Internet “brushing” scam: Sellers boost sales numbers by shipping unordered items, then post fake customer reviews to boost market listings. Cheap seeds are commonly used.
– Counterfeit seeds: Fake or incorrectly labelled seeds are sold online and shipped carelessly. This can accidentally introduce species.
– Internet seed sales: Seeds bought online and shipped improperly, or sent to the wrong address.
– Agricultural accidents: Seeds spill during transport and get packaged improperly, shipping seeds unintentionally.
The sheer number of states affected points to an organized effort, but the motive remains unknown. Investigators are exploring all possibilities using the seed analysis results.
How to identify seed types
Identifying unknown seeds requires specialized botanical knowledge. However, there are some basic characteristics you can observe to aid identification:
Seed shape: Is the seed round, oblong, triangular, or kidney-shaped? What about indentations, bumps, or ridges?
Seed size: Measure seed dimensions and mass. Large seeds above 3mm likely belong to trees, shrubs, or vines. Smaller seeds often come from grasses and herbs.
Seed color: Record the outer seed coat color. Are there any patterns or mottling?
Seed texture: Note the surface texture – smooth, glossy, bumpy, hairy, or ridged?
Hilum: The hilum is the scar where a seed detached from the plant. Note its shape, color, and size.
Seed contents: Carefully cut a seed in half to view the internal structure and embryo shape.
Making detailed observations helps compare to seed guides and image databases for identification. However, do not break hitchhiking pests or pathogens out of seeds. Leave investigation to the experts.
Proper seed identification technique
Botanists use specialized procedures to comprehensively identify unknown seeds:
- Inspect external traits like shape, size, texture, and color patterns.
- Examine the seed’s hilum or attachment scar under a microscope.
- Study the seed coat by removing it and observing under magnification.
- Analyze the interior embryo by dissecting seeds. Compare embryos to reference images.
- Observe the seedling leaf shape, first true leaves, and early growth.
- Consider where the seed was found and growing conditions.
- Consult online seed anatomy and taxonomic resources to match traits.
- Use seed testing to check viability and required growing conditions.
- Compare to a reference collection of seeds and scientific seed specimen catalog.
Comprehensive identification uses seed anatomy, specialized tests, taxonomy, and geographic context. Proper facilities with reference collections are required, emphasizing why unidentified seeds should only be handled by authorities.
Examples of common invasive plant seeds
Here are some examples of invasive plant species that can cause damage if introduced outside their native range:
| Common name | Scientific name | Native range | Description |
| Kudzu | Pueraria montana | Eastern Asia | Oval brown seeds. Aggressive vine overgrows native vegetation. |
| Cogongrass | Imperata cylindrica | Southeast Asia | Flat, pale seeds. Herbaceous grass invades agriculture. |
| Purple loosestrife | Lythrum salicaria | Europe/Asia | Tiny, dark seeds. Wetland plant displaces natives. |
| Japanese stiltgrass | Microstegium vimineum | Asia | Grassy seeds. Shades out native forest plants. |
These are just a few examples demonstrating why unknown seeds may need containment and analysis. Invasives can severely impact ecosystems, farms, and livelihoods.
Should I be worried about getting seeds in the mail?
Receiving mystery seeds raises understandable concerns. However, authorities advise against panic. Here’s a realistic assessment:
– Don’t plant unidentified seeds, and you avoid risks. Proper disposal prevents spread.
– Not all unknown seeds are invasive threats. Many may be harmless grass seeds. Analysis will tell.
– Federal agencies are thoroughly investigating seed shipments. Smuggling has declined with interventions.
– Invasive species are not uncommon in the U.S. Authorities have tools to detect and manage them.
– Most accidentally introduced species fail to thrive and never establish outdoors.
– While caution is warranted, the situation is being monitored and addressed. Proper reports give officials valuable data.
– Limit contact with seeds, and submit them to experts rather than trying identification yourself.
– Follow USDA instructions for your state. They will protect agriculture, nature, and your safety.
With sensible precautions, citizens can avoid the risks until authorities contain the issue. Do not plant seeds, and promptly report arrivals. This will prevent environmental harm.
The ecological impact of invasive species
Invasive species displace native plants and animals, causing widespread environmental disruption:
– Habitat loss: Invasive plants overgrow and replace existing vegetation. This eliminates habitat and food for native wildlife.
– Loss of biodiversity: More aggressive alien species outcompete diverse native plants and animals, harming ecosystem stability.
– Altered ecosystems: Changes in vegetation structure, wildfire patterns, soil nutrition, water cycles, and other processes degrade habitats.
– Reduced pollination: Displaced native plants reduces food sources for pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds.
– Toxic effects: Some invaders poison native species that eat them but lack evolutionary defenses.
– Parasites and disease: Invasive species introduce new pathogens deadly to species with no immunity.
– Soil damage: Fast-growing aliens rapidly deplete soil moisture and nutrients, reducing fertility.
– Crop destruction: Weedy invaders infest agricultural fields, causing billions in damage and famine risk.
Invasive species impacts cascade through the ecosystem, disrupting interdependent food webs, populations, and systems developed over millennia.
History of invasive species in America
Invasive species have entered North America for centuries, often causing major destruction:
– European colonists intentionally introduced many alien plants and animals starting in the 1500s. Some spread uncontrollably, like European starlings and house sparrows that displaced native birds.
– Accidentally imported insects like the gypsy moth, emerald ash borer, and hemlock woolly adelgid have devastated millions of acres of forests since the 1800s.
– Exotic organisms released for erosion control, such as kudzu vine, often became invasive pests instead of beneficial plants.
– Diseases introduced from abroad, including chestnut blight and Dutch elm disease, wiped out billions of iconic American trees in the 1900s.
– Zebra mussels, snakehead fish, Burmese pythons, and other invaders introduced via ship ballast, the wildlife trade, and aquaculture have caused modern ecological crises.
– Globalized trade and travel continue introducing harmful species from other continents at an accelerating pace, both deliberately and inadvertently.
America’s natural landscapes have been radically reshaped by waves of alien introductions over the past four centuries. New pests continue to slip through borders daily, demonstrating why caution is required.
Examples of destructive invasive species
Some of the costliest ecological invaders include:
– Zebra mussels: Accidentally imported from Eurasia, these prolific filter-feeders clog pipes costing billions. They alter aquatic food webs and water quality.
– Emerald ash borer: Asian beetles introduced in the 1990s killed hundreds of millions of North American ash trees, causing ecosystem havoc.
– Cheatgrass: Brought as forage, this invasive Eurasian grass has fueled more frequent Western wildfires and displaced native plants.
– Kudzu: The fast-growing Asian vine blankets millions of forest acres, choking out trees and