By James Felton 04 AUG 2020, 12:27
In an already packed weird year, you may have missed that people around the US, and indeed the world, have been receiving packs of mystery seeds.
The seeds, which appear to have been sent from China, prompted warnings from at least 27 states along the lines of "do not plant the mystery seeds," sometimes all in caps for a bit of extra "What are these, triffids?" intrigue.
Too late I planted them and now my backyard is emitting a strange glow what should I do— non podhoretz (NOT the guy from commentary) (@crookedroads770) July 25, 2020
The warnings were designed, not to protect you from man-eating triffids (though it's always best to be on the safe side), but because pathogens, contaminates, or insects could be hidden within the packaging, or the seeds themselves could belong to invasive species. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) urged anyone who receives a mysterious unsolicited bag of seeds to contact their state regulator and hold onto the package until they are given further instructions.
After further investigation by the USDA, we now know what the mystery seeds are. Brace yourselves for a lack of resolution, because it does nothing to illuminate the motive of the sender.
"We have identified 14 different species of seeds, including mustard, cabbage, morning glory, and some herbs like mint, sage, rosemary, lavender, then other seeds like hibiscus and roses," Osama El-Lissy from the Plant Protection program of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said in a radio interview. "This is just a subset of the samples we've collected so far."
So far, so innocuous. Who doesn't like to be sent a lovely bit of mint? So what's in it for the senders?
"At this time, we don’t have any evidence indicating this is something other than a 'brushing scam' where people receive unsolicited items from a seller who then posts false customer reviews to boost sales," the USDA said in a statement.
Essentially, people send out the packages to random people and then review the product under a false name on sites like Amazon. This then boosts their seller rating, and their actual products (probably not seeds) start showing up in more people's search results while they shop.
In the meantime, the USDA is still collecting samples to try and determine if they contain anything that could be "of concern to US agriculture or the environment". It urges anyone who receives a mysterious unsolicited bag of seeds to contact their state regulator and hold onto the package until they are given further instructions.
Mysterious seeds from China! Things are getting stranger all the time in 2020. Several states in the southeast have reported the arrival of unwanted seeds and other goods from a China source. Our office has received contact from a few Mississippians reporting the arrival of unidentified seeds. If you receive seeds from China, DO NOT PLANT THEM. And don’t throw them in the trash. Please contact our Bureau of Plant Industry Office and report the seeds at 662-325-3390. We are developing a protocol for the best way to deal with them. Thanks! AG
Against All Warnings, People Have Planted The Forbidden Seeds. Here's What Grew
By James Felton 07 AUG 2020
Over the last few weeks, people around the world have been receiving mystery seeds in the post from China. Nobody ordered them, nobody wanted them, but nonetheless the mystery seeds keep coming, usually arriving in packets labeled as jewelry.
The US Authorities have been particularly stern in their warnings that people should not plant the forbidden seeds – for multiple reasons – with 27 states putting out warnings, sometimes in all caps just to make you think there's something seriously dangerous going on here.
whoever had Triffids on their 2020 nightmare bingo cards please mark your square! https://t.co/EHTLRqNZKy— OneWordLong (@OneWordLong) July 30, 2020
Flash forward to people all over the US planting the forbidden seeds.
"We brought them down here and planted the seeds just to see what would happen," Doyle Crenshaw, from Booneville, Arkansas told local news network 5NewsOnline. They had arrived in a package labeled as studded earrings and he was too curious not to plant them. "Every two weeks I'd come by and put miracle grow on it and they just started growing like crazy."
Some of the plants have orange blossoms and long white fruits, which could mean it's a squash. So far, there are no signs of the plants attempting to eat people as Internet memes would suggest is next.
Crenshaw is far from alone in his curiosity.
The seeds are a mixed bag, but so far have been fairly innocuous. An investigation by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that they were pretty ordinary varieties you'd be able to buy at a store.
"We have identified 14 different species of seeds, including mustard, cabbage, morning glory, and some herbs like mint, sage, rosemary, lavender, then other seeds like hibiscus and roses," Osama El-Lissy from the Plant Protection program of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said in a radio interview. "This is just a subset of the samples we've collected so far."
You probably still shouldn't plant them though, as they could contain pathogens or contaminates, insects could be hidden within the packaging, or the seeds themselves could belong to invasive species. The USDA urged anyone who receives an unsolicited bag of seeds to contact their state regulator and hold onto the package until they are given further instructions.
As for an explanation why China appears to be gifting the world mysterious seeds, so far an online scam is the most likely scenario.
"At this time, we don’t have any evidence indicating this is something other than a 'brushing scam' where people receive unsolicited items from a seller who then posts false customer reviews to boost sales," the USDA said in a statement.
Essentially, people send out the packages to random people and then review the product under a false name on sites like Amazon or Etsy. This then boosts their seller rating, and their actual products (probably not seeds) start showing up in more people's search results while they shop.
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