To import artificially propagated CITES Appendix I&2 Cycads you need the exporter (Cycad International) to supply you with only the phytosanitary certificate and a CITES permit showing artificial propagation status (and certificate of Origin if required). Cycad International can Export and comply under these conditions, we only need to send you a Phytosanitary Certificate and our CITES Documentation with shipment to make this transaction Legal, we have this document available in our office at an hours notice, a shipment of CITES Appendix 1 and 2 cycads can be dispatched to you within 1 week of confirmed order and payment, this depends on the size of the shipment and to you receiving your Plant Import Permit (not CITES) if required from your countries Agricultural customs authorities.
CITES & Import / Export RequirementsAll cycads are in the CITES appendix under Plant Kingdom, covered under one of the following three family names: Cycadaceae, Stangeriaceae and Zamiaceae (please reference Ken Hill's Cycad Pages under identification if further explanation is required). For additional legal considerations, please reference the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Title 50 Part 23. (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html)
All cycads are CITES APPENDIX 2 except the following:
- Cycas beddomei
- Stangeria eriopus
- All Ceratozamia
- All Chigua
- All Encephalartos
- Microcycas calocoma
The aboveare all CITES Appendix I.
APPENDIX II seeds are not CITES regulated,a Phytosanitary Certificate must accompany each shipment. CITES Appendix I seeds are treated the same as the plants.
USA. To import plants as an individual, you need to submit a form PPQ-587 to USDA:APHIS:PPQ for your import permit. It must have each individual species name you intend to import. This is FREE and lasts five years. You must continually amend your permit if you keep importing different species. You must also pick a port of entry for inspection. Small packages can be sent by mail anywhere as long as the destination is a USDA:APHIS:PPQ inspection station.
As a business, or if you want to export, you need to submit form PPQ-621 with $70 for an import/export license. This lasts two years.
To import artificially propagated CITES Appendix I and 2 material you need the exporter to supply you with the phytosanitary certificate and a CITES permit showing artificial propagation. (Always a good idea to contact the responsible government office in the country you're importing from so you know what you should have.)
(All of our CITES Appendix 1plants offered are artificially Propagated so are treated as CITES Appendix 2 Plants for the purpose of the act.)
The information below does not apply to our Artificially propagated Cycads from our Nursery.
To import CITES Appendix I material removed from the wild, you must also have a permit from U.S. Fish and Wildlife that cost $25 (http://www.fws.gov) and is good for 6-12 months. To get the permit, you have to show experience caring for and adequate facilities to accommodate the plant material, subject to inspection at anytime. Plants imported under these conditions can never be commercially sold and any monies derived from sale of the material must be used to propagate and care for other APPENDIX I material in your possession. (How they enforce this, I don't know.)
Between U.S. states this can be just as much work depending on the states involved with the agricultural inspections.
The following links point to the CITES forms discussed above (most are in PDF format):
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone MapPlant Hardiness Zones, One of the biggest problems any gardener has is in choosing the right plant for the correct Hardiness Zone. Make sure you know what Hardiness Zone your plant will live in comfortably. The Hardiness Zone should be listed with the description and cultural care guidelines prior to any purchase. If it isn't, don't buy the plant. And if the nursery can't guarantee that the plant is suited for this area (Zone 6) or colder (Zones 5-1), leave immediately and buy from someone who knows what they're doing!
To alleviate some of the confusion, eliminate the needless killing of plants and especially the wasting of your hard-earned money, use the Hardiness Map below. Both the USDA and Rutgers University have issued their own respective Plant Hardiness Zone Maps. The USDA Map is shown below; Rutgers' Map will be added as soon as the latest version is available. shown below;
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Zone 1 (below -50 degrees F)
Zone 2 (-50 to -40 degrees F)
Zone 3 (-40 to -30 degrees F)
Zone 4 (-30 to -20 degrees F)
Zone 5 (-20 to -10 degrees F)
Zone 6 (-10 to 0 degrees F)
Zone 7 (0 to 10 degrees F)
Zone 8 (10 to 20 degrees F)
Zone 9 (20 to 30 degrees F)
Zone 10 (30 to 40 degrees F)
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For more detailed information on USDA Plant Hardiness Zones click here.
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