Mystery seeds part of scam, officials say

Those mysterious, unsolicited packages of seeds from China arriving in mailboxes across the country have reached Sonoma, too.

At least one Sonoma woman received a pack of seeds, probably a couple months back, she said, in a padded manila envelope.

“I open it and there are these random seeds,” said Alyssa Conder.

As a gardener, it’s not unusual for her to receive seeds, but this package was not labeled.

“I said, ‘I’m not planting them because I don’t know what they are’,” she said. She put them away somewhere and forgot about them until she saw a recent Facebook post on Sonoma’s Victory Garden group.

Thinking back to those mysterious seeds she said she figured she ordered something but forgot about the order. At the time she was focused on planting vegetable seeds and guessed that the mystery seeds were flowers and thought they could wait.

Some of the seeds that other people have received have been identified as poppy, beans, wheat and barley, said Andrew Smith, Sonoma County agriculture commissioner.

“They seem to be cheap seeds, not high-dollar, high-value plant seeds,” Smith said.

The packages are part of a “brushing” scam, Smith said, where a seller sends out unsolicited goods then posts false customer reviews to improve their image to other vendors and boost sales. It’s a practice that typically uses lightweight items to avoid higher shipping costs, he said.

Lightweight items such as sunglasses and cosmetic bags have been used in such schemes, but they don’t pose the danger that these seeds do, Smith said.

These packages “should be declared as plant material, as plant seed,” he said, and it should be clearly stated on the package. “This is in violation of many, many plant quarantine restrictions.”

California is among the most stringent states when it comes to restrictions in movement of plants and plant materials, he said.

Lydia Constantini, manager of Sonoma Mission Gardens, said there are strict restrictions in moving plants within the state, too, specifically between northern and southern California.

“I only buy plants” from growers that are certified as “compliant and clean,” she said.

Southern California has plant pests and diseases that if transported into Sonoma County could be devastating to the agricultural economy here, Smith and Constantini said. Plants brought to Sonoma County go through multiple inspections if they come from outside the region, said Constantini who added that she focuses on plant growers and suppliers who are local.

While a small packet of seeds might seem harmless, Smith said the county is not willing to take a chance on finding out if they are tainted with a disease or are a non-native, invasive species, another major concern of agriculturists.

“By no means should people plant these seeds,” he said. If they do, it is best to dig up the plant and the soil surrounding the roots, put it in a zip-lock bag and make sure nothing of the plant is left behind.

There is the potential for introducing an invasive species or plant disease which “could wreak havoc in the agricultural” industry or “damage the environment,” Smith said.

Nurseries in the area, as well as the Sonoma Ecology Center, said they have not been approached by anyone looking to identify a seed packet. Scot Medbury, executive director of Quarryhill Botanical Garden in Glen Ellen, said he has not seen any of the imported seeds and also shared his concerns that the seeds could be invasive or carry disease.

Invasive, non-native plants can be destructive to native plants, Medbury said. Some of the grasses on the hillsides that burn so easily are non-natives that were brought in by Europeans more than a century ago. It took about 30 years for the non-native plants to smother the natives, which are typically more fire resistant than non-natives, he said.

It is illegal to ship plant material or seeds into California without it passing rigorous inspection, Smith said.

Direction received from the U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture is to collect from residents any seeds and packaging they have received that fit the description and turn it into Sonoma County’s agriculture department. There are infractions associated with the mailing of each individual package, he said, and given that the delivery is widespread and numerous means it could amount to a substantial penalty.

For individuals who received a package of seeds, Smith asked that they leave their name and address visible on the package and include a phone number and/or an email address where the person can be reached should additional information be needed.

People can call the ag department at 565-2371 and either set up a time for a staff member to pick up the package, or people can drop off the package in a drop box in front of the ad department, which is located at 133 Aviation Blvd. No. 110, in Santa Rosa.

Contact Anne at anne.ernst@sonomanews.com.