Morning glories and 情熱: U.S. 調査／捜査するs unsolicited seed mystery
By Christopher Walljasper
CHICAGO, July 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. 農業 Department has identified more than a dozen 工場／植物 種類 範囲ing from morning glories to 情熱 in 捕らえる、獲得するs of unsolicited seeds arriving in the mailboxes of thousands of Americans, mostly postmarked from 中国.
While most 種類 identified seem to be innocuous herbs, flowering 工場／植物s, vegetables or grasses, 工場／植物 専門家s 警告する that seeds from other parts of the world could be 非，不，無-native varieties that 害（を与える） 商品／必需品 刈るs.
Another 関心 is what appears to be an unknown 塗装, かもしれない insecticide or fungicide on the seeds, said コマドリ Pruisner, 明言する／公表する seed 支配（する）／統制する 公式の／役人 at the Department of 農業 and Land Stewardship in Iowa, the 最高の，を越す U.S. corn growing 明言する／公表する.
Pruisner said unknown seed 治療s could 損失 刈るs.
"I've had people 述べる to me that the seeds are coated with something purple. I 港／避難所't had it in my 手渡すs yet, but it sounds an awful lot like a seed 治療," she said.
Pruisner said she had received 297 報告（する）／憶測s of seeds received as of Thursday afternoon.
The U.S. Department of 農業´s Animal and 工場／植物 Health 査察 Service (APHIS) is 教えるing 明言する／公表する 機関s to collect the seeds and send them to it for 分析. The 機関 on Wednesday said it had identified 14 different 種類 of seeds, but 公式文書，認めるd it was still 早期に in the 過程.
The 農業 Department has said the 一括s are most likely part of a "小衝突ing" scam, in which people receive unsolicited items from a 販売人 who then 地位，任命するs 誤った 肯定的な 顧客 reviews to 上げる sales.
U.S. Customs and 国境 保護 is also 調査／捜査するing the origin of the seeds. 中国's foreign 省 広報担当者 has said the 一括s appear to have been falsified.
The 一括s have also been 報告（する）／憶測d in Canada, where Ontario's Central 地域 地方の Police 地位，任命するd a 警告 on Facebook Wednesday against "foreign seeds in the mail from 中国 or Taiwan."
The Florida Department of 農業 and 消費者 Services said it had received 1,209 報告（する）／憶測s about the seeds, with 300 phone calls on Thursday alone.
明言する／公表する 農業 departments have also 報告（する）／憶測d 一括s postmarked from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, though most are 報道によれば from 中国.
Most 明言する／公表するs are asking people to 報告（する）／憶測 the 一括s to the 明言する／公表する 農業 department, which will then send 視察官s to collect them.
Sadie Crawford, who 作品 in marketing in Townsend, Massachusetts, said she had just ordered watermelon, ivy and morning glory seeds from アマゾン.com Inc, so assumed the two 一括s she received were just mislabeled.
"I put them in water and got some sprouts," said Crawford. "We were really curious what they were."
The 工場／植物s have since died and Crawford 報告（する）／憶測d the second 一括 to the Massachusetts Department of 農業の 資源s.
Seed companies have seen 全世界の online and 小売 需要・要求する にわか景気 during the pandemic as 消費者s with time on their 手渡すs （問題を）取り上げる gardening.
But Pruisner 警告を与えるd that online international seed 購入（する）s could 提起する／ポーズをとる an 生態学の 脅し.
"The a-ha moment I really had here is how much seed people are buying from other countries," she said. "I have been 簡単に amazed, when I talk to people, how they say the other seed they've bought from 中国 is 罰金." (報告（する）／憶測ing by Christopher Walljasper; 付加 報告（する）／憶測ing by Kelsey Johnson; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Tom Brown)
