[OGD] NO CITES required for orchid flasks

[peter croezen]

Mary Lou ,   Happy  to see you are back with us on the OGD. According to your post, Aileen, whoever she is, said:   "Any of these flasks that enter the US legally come in with CITES from the country of origin."   WRONG!!!!!. Orchid flasks do come in without CITES, because FLASKED ORCHID SEEDLINGS ARE EXEMPT FROM CITES.   There is no official document of CITES providing proof that flasked orchid seedlings are propagated from legally, or illegally, collected orchid parents. CITES appears to understand that "legally, or illegally collecting of orchid parents" is an internal matter for the country of origin.     I am aware that AOS ORCHIDS articles in the past provided erroneous information re "CITES for orchid flasks."   If a country of origin wants to indicate that flasked orchid seedlings are propagated  "from legally collected parents" I assume they are  free do so on a non-Cites form of their own design. There is no requirement by any importing country CITES authorities to pay attention to it.   I refer you to the following URL:   http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.shtml   then scroll down and read:     ORCHIDACEAE Orchids   (For all of the following Appendix-I species, seedling or tissue cultures obtained in vitro, in solid or liquid media, transported in sterile containers are not subject to the provisions of the Convention)     Legal plants, for which no CITES documents exist are: 1) Plants imported as "obtained in-vitro, in solid or liquid media, transported in sterile containers" (flasks;) grown into mature plants 2) Plants propagated in the country, in-vitro, from legally imported parents; grown into mature plants.   For  CITES  Text  of the Convention, see http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/text.shtml#VII   Peter C.

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