Some success with seeds!

I have had some success with seeds imported from France, India, Germany and the UK recently. I had them sowed in small punnets in a sandy/peaty mix. I placed these in a fairly shady (though not dark) place. The punnets had some exposure to the rain and frosts. Moss and ferns eventually started to grow on the surface, but I didn't worry too much about these. I just pulled out the ferns as they got too big. Many months passed and then, success! First one then two then several seedlings poking through.

The successes include: Rosa chinensis "Camellia Temple China", R. chinensis var. spontanea (species), R. chinensis "Lake Mishmi", R. ussuriensis (species), R. gallica "pumilla", R. XOdorata "Laos Rose", and R. sempervirens (species).

As most of the Chinas and the Gallica were open pollinated, results may be surprising. Some may even revert to ancestral forms.

Thread jacking for a minute.

I know we have disccussed the import of seed here before, but, Is there any chance of telling me how yours were imported to Australia, Ian
If you choose not to place it on here, can you email me direct, Regards David.

Hi David,

No problem with your question and I am happy to answer. If you look on the AQIS ICON database, it is presently okay to import rose seed (Rosa spp.). The website outlines all the rules and regulations relating to specific seed coming from specific countries. So long as you only get small packets there are usually no problems. Seeds may be opened and inspected for bugs or diseases so be warned, they are very thorough and WILL go through seed with a fine tooth comb under an electron microscope!

It is always a good idea to tell the sender to make sure to check the seed prior to packaging. Seed must be completely clean and free of any insect remains, dirt, or chewed bits. Also tell the sender to write the species name on the packet and also on the outside of the envelope and state the approx. qty. of seed contained therein. Seed must be in separate packets, not left loose in the envelope. The smaller the consignment the better. If you get a huge amount of seed you may be charged an inspection fee if the inspection time takes longer than 15 minutes.

If imported seed is found to contain anything bad, seed will be confiscated and destroyed, generally at no expense (on small consignments). Sometimes if only a few of the seeds are affected, they may sort through the entire packet and send on the good seeds to you. I once had part of a packet of rose seed destroyed simply because they found the tiny wing of a dead insect! They inspected the seed thoroughly and I copped a bill for $80 for the trouble. So I can't stress enough the need to ask senders to inspect the seed throughly before posting, and to only request small amounts of seed (say around 10-20 seeds). Over time you will get to know the good ones from the lazy ones. Some will unfortunately take no notice. I once received a packet of seed from an ebay seller and was horrified to find it contained more chaff and rubbish than seed. I decided to burn it rather than risk propagating it. somehow it had got through the post without being inspected, but even so, I was not prepared to risk it.

Quarantine is as much our responsibility as it is the Government's. This is also a reason why I like to keep imported seed sprayed well with insecticides and fungicides during the germination process (as I mentioned recently in another thread elsewhere).

Sorry for waffling on. Hope this helps.

Regards
Ian

Not waffling on! This is excellent information!

This is the link to which Rosa sp. we can bring in: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Check it if you are bringing in species seed as not all species seed can be brought in.

If you are bringing in hybrid seed it needs to be clearly written, in the same way Ian mentioned above, exactly as follows Rosa 'hybrida' (write cross here eg. OP 'New Dawn') .

I could not agree more that quarantine is a responsibility we all share. I got some seed sent over including some Rosa Moyesii seed from the U.S. a few years ago and it is my standard practice to leave all the seeds in their bags, inside another larger bag, for at least 6 months after they arrive. I'm glad I did because on inspection later on I found live tiny wasps crawling around in the bag that had chewed out of the seeds whilst in storage. I put that bag straight into the fire. Isolating the bags for a period of time is a nice easy way to check for these nasties.

It does worry me what does get through so as Ian said it is up to us to be vigilant and take precautions of our own as well.

Thanks Simon,

I never knew about the proper way to label hybrid seed, as I'd only ever imported seed of species. Thank you for these additional details.

I got those pesky wasps too in seed once. Apparently they are already in Australia as they came in many years ago via the cut flower trade. I can't recall their scientific name now. But they do look like a very tiny ichneumon wasp. I seem to recall they lay their eggs on the developing pod and the larvae burrows in and makes a meal of the embryo.

I found them inside on a window one time after I'd brought home some roses from a motel.

These 2 emails are from Laura the girl I contacted at AQUIS.
Dear David,

In regards to labelling the seed, it is best to label each package/ packet so there is no confusion with quarantine at the point of entry. The main thing that needs to be labelled is the genus and species as this is what the quarantine officers will look at and all varieties of permitted species are permitted. It is best that the seed is packaged separately if they are different species, however there is actually an ICON case for mixed seed if you are interested in looking, please click the link below:

Mixed seed



In regards to Adam Dawes, yes he still works here and I have said hello for you.



I hope this helps, please email me if you have any further questions



Laura Coughlan

Dear David,

Thank you for your enquiry



Import conditions are publicly available from the AQIS import conditions database - ICON, which is located on the Internet at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] It is a convenient way to access information about Australian import conditions for more than 30,000 foreign plant, animal, mineral and human commodities. It can be used to determine if a commodity intended for import to Australia needs a quarantine permit and/or treatment, or if there are any other quarantine prerequisites.



I recommend that, when searching ICON for the specific import conditions for a species, you enter the ‘Genus’ (e.g. Capsicum) name of the species in the ‘Commodity Name’ box. You do not need to fill out the ‘From Country’ or ‘For End Use’ boxes. ICON is case specific, therefore entering the genus and species name may provide you with a ‘No Results’ found message. However by entering only the genus name, all the species listed on ICON within that genus will be shown. Alternatively, you can try to just enter in the common name or even part of the common name into the ‘Commodity Name’ box.



The information contained in ICON covers AQIS quarantine requirements only. It is the importer's responsibility to be aware of and to ensure compliance with the requirements of all other regulatory and advisory bodies prior to and after importation e.g. Australian Customs Service, Imported Foods Program, Therapeutic Goods Administration etc.



In regards to importing rose seed from the United States of America please click the link below for the ICON import conditions

Rosa spp.

Once the link has opened you will need to select the appropriate case; for seed select the link for ‘seed for sowing’, this will outline any requirements AQIS has for importing the seed. You will need to check that the species you wish to import is on the permitted species list within the case. Permitted species of Rosa seed are permitted entry without an import permit as long as they are not genetically modified.



In regards to costs if it is only a small amount of seed (non commercial) which needs to be inspected, as you do not require an import permit or growth of the seeds in quarantine you may not incur any fees unless there is contamination found in the seed during inspection



I hope this information has been helpful I would be happy to help if you have any further enquiries

Kind regards



Laura Coughlan

Policy Officer

Plant Quarantine Operations