Jerry Lee Fischer who said: >The CITES treaty clearly states that any and all >orchid seedlings traded in vitro are exempt from >CITES regulations as long as a phyto accompanies >them.
Jerry I do not believe what you say is totally accurate. It is my understanding that besides sterile in-vitro certification, phytosanitary documents as you mention, there is another requirement for Appendix I orchid seedlings in-vitro crossing International borders. CITES Appendix 1 orchid species seedlings in-vitro must have been Artificially Propagated from seeds of legally collected parents.(A.P.as per CITES definition) Example: In the case of Phragmipedium kovachii this is taken care of if the Pk in-vitro orchid seedlings were obtained from an INRENA licensed Pk nursery like Centro de Jardineria Manrique, who's INRENA Pk collecting permit # is 001. However, if an INRENA registered Pk nursery uses seeds from plants other than the legally collected ones, the in-vitro seedlings are illegal. Finally, I believe we may conclude that CITES Appendix I orchid seedlings in-vitro, are illegal, if propagated from illegal plants, or obtained from a nursery not licensed to AP propagate the CITES Appendix I species. peter _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
