FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello I was wondering if it is legal to buy In Vitro plants from overseas? From Prague, Czech Republic to the United States (California) I know California has some strict import laws and it was hard for me to find the info online. Thanks

You could just buy from California Carnivores

I'm looking to buy a cephalotus, they never have any in stock when I check. Most places don't seem to have them very often. They do have Utricularia I've been wanting though so thank you for the advice.

They occasionally have cephs in stock. If you want to get one your best bet would be contacting them directly. Two weeks ago I shipped 4 medium sized cephs to a person in CA as part of a trade ( I COMPLETELY forgot about import laws) and they arrived just fine in three days. I guess this wouldn't work every time but you might get lucky. If you do buy one in the US I would advise you ask the person who is shipping to you to not write anything on the box, since some people will write "live plants, keep away from heat and cold", and that would obviously give it away.

If you can't get one from CC I would try trading/buying with another person in CA. I know that there are TONS of CA growers, and there is also the BACPS ( Bay Area Carnivorous Plant Society) that hosts meetings (not sure when), but you would probably be able to obtain one there.

Good luck!

As far as I know, in vitro plants are subject to the same regulations as other plants. I doubt you would have trouble getting one into California as the usual importation paperwork should handle it.

Cephs pop up on eBay all the time, and you can always trade for one. As for importing plants, international shipping costs and the extra requirement of a phytosanitary certificate tend to add 50 Euros or so to your order. To order more than 12 plants at a time, you need an import license.

Basically, it's not usually cost-effective to import except for certain plants that are very expensive here and relatively inexpensive in Europe (for example, Nepenthes hamata) or if you join a group order to cut down on shipping costs.

As an additional note, if you haven't dealt with tissue culture before, transitioning a plant from a tissue culture flask to normal conditions is not an easy process. I would not recommend attempting it unless you are a very experienced grower.

Predatory Plants is located in California, and they have cephs in stock.

You guys have been very helpful, thank you all. I checked Predatory Plants and I'm unsure if I found the updated website because it shows "Out of stock" right under the add to cart button. I had assumed since in vitro plants have been sterilized and contain no media like dirt they would make it past importation without having to pay extra.

Could you get it here just bare rooted no soil?

Imported plants are never sent with soil that I'm aware of - the shipping cost would be too high and there's probably too many concerns about soil-borne pests and diseases (which coincidentally is also the main concern for sending plants to California from other states.) Phytosanitary certificates are still required for bare-root plants. I haven't been able to find any information indicating whether or not they're required for in vitro plants so I'm assuming they're still required.

tarantula26u wrote:Could you get it here just bare rooted no soil?

No. Any plant material entering into the US from outside the country without the proper paperwork AND first being sent to an inspection location, could be destroyed.

I would guess the larger the package, the more likely it is to get a random inspection. Ordering just a few plants would not be practical with the shipping cost. I'm sure some sellers will ship without the proper documents(that you are responsible to send to the seller) but there is the risk of losing the plants and possible fines(extremely rare).

There are some good threads on the subject if you do a search. If you want to go legit, get the import permit, pay for the phyto cert and load up to bring the cost per plant down.

I meant getting it shipped from the US to California without soil

tarantula26u wrote:I meant getting it shipped from the US to California without soil

I'm pretty sure that California restricts any plant material, with or without soil.

Benurmanii wrote:

tarantula26u wrote:I meant getting it shipped from the US to California without soil

I'm pretty sure that California restricts any plant material, with or without soil.

Correct, as do the great majority of other states that also require a phyto cert, nursery cert or inspection sticker. There was a recent overreaction to a seller that should have known better(IMO) getting a shipment destroyed in CA that was labeled "live "plants".

As long as you are purchasing the plant material from a properly registered nursery/farm/grower who has a valid state licence/certificate you can receive it regardless of being bare root or not. States such as California/Nevada are interested in possible plant pests such as Japanese beetles, soil nematodes, etc.

From what I understand California has been stepping up enforcement and has been actively refusing shipments of plants without accompanying certificates - it makes it difficult for growers like us to send plants to California, though like you said it should not affect nurseries.