Sunday, December 21, 2003 Posted: 10:45 AM EST (1545 GMT)


TAMPA, Florida (AP) -- A famed botanical garden in Florida and one of its
experts pleaded guilty today to illegally importing one of the most prized
orchids ever found.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and one of its premier orchid experts --
Wesley E- Higgins -- were charged with accepting the ladyslipper orchid from
a collector who was indicted on felony charges of illegally bringing the
flower from Peru.

Court documents say the botanical garden pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor
charge of violating the federal Endangered Species Act and will pay a $5,000
fine and be placed on probation for three years.

The garden, located in Sarasota, must also apologize in a full-page ad in
the American Orchid Society magazine and send letters to "leading
herbariums" in the country warning them of the garden's experience with the
illegal flower.

Higgins was sentenced to two years probation and fined $2,000.




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Sounds like Mike is fighting felony charges. Any one know he status of that
case?

Pat

"Reka" wrote in message
...
Sunday, December 21, 2003 Posted: 10:45 AM EST (1545 GMT)


TAMPA, Florida (AP) -- A famed botanical garden in Florida and one of its
experts pleaded guilty today to illegally importing one of the most prized
orchids ever found.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and one of its premier orchid experts --
Wesley E- Higgins -- were charged with accepting the ladyslipper orchid
from
a collector who was indicted on felony charges of illegally bringing the
flower from Peru.

Court documents say the botanical garden pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor
charge of violating the federal Endangered Species Act and will pay a
$5,000
fine and be placed on probation for three years.

The garden, located in Sarasota, must also apologize in a full-page ad in
the American Orchid Society magazine and send letters to "leading
herbariums" in the country warning them of the garden's experience with
the
illegal flower.

Higgins was sentenced to two years probation and fined $2,000.




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Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 13:55:22 +0100, "Reka"
wrote:

Yesterday's St. Pete Times article on the same:

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/...?ts=1072099997

bb

CNN's report:
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/sci....ap/index.html

What ever happened to the seedlings from these plants? I thought they were
being propagated and eventually used for hybrids.

On 22 Dec 2003 15:11:37 GMT, nospamX (TRAINMAN9)
wrote in Message-Id: :

What ever happened to the seedlings from these plants? I thought they were
being propagated and eventually used for hybrids.

My understanding is that the Peruvian government is not currently
permitting international shipment of this species. There has been
considerable discussion of this topic on the Orchid Guide mailing
list.

You can search the archive he
http://www.potto-webdesign.com/mailman/public/orchids/

Subscribe he
http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids

There were no seedlings involved from the Peruvian Phrag. kovachii
(peruvianum) Entire plants were brought into the USA illegally and
taken to Selby. At least one individual took plants north and they
were siezed.
There is one nursery, maybe more now, that was given permission by
Peru to collect 5 plants and grow them on and propagate them IN PERU.
So far Peru is not allowing any exports but I imagine that will change
in the future.
The illegal Paph species that was propagated IN the USA was a
different species. Seed pods taken from plants siezed by the gov.
agents which were grown on for legal propagation in the US. Seeds
were flasked by Antec labs in New York when asked to do so by the
Botanic Garden. This was a different case NOT involving Selby.



Larry Dighera wrote in message . ..
On 22 Dec 2003 15:11:37 GMT, nospamX (TRAINMAN9)
wrote in Message-Id: :

What ever happened to the seedlings from these plants? I thought they were
being propagated and eventually used for hybrids.

My understanding is that the Peruvian government is not currently
permitting international shipment of this species. There has been
considerable discussion of this topic on the Orchid Guide mailing
list.

You can search the archive he
http://www.potto-webdesign.com/mailman/public/orchids/

Subscribe he
http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids

TRAINMAN9 wrote:
What ever happened to the seedlings from these plants? I thought they were
being propagated and eventually used for hybrids.

Yes, they were. Someone deliberately contaminated all the flasks after
the plants were growing and destroyed them all. Now there are supposedly
others growing in flask, but we'll all have to wait years for them here,
until the peruvian government decides they can be exported.

On Tue, 23 Dec 2003 02:58:12 GMT, tennis maynard
wrote in Message-Id:
:

TRAINMAN9 wrote:
What ever happened to the seedlings from these plants? I thought they were
being propagated and eventually used for hybrids.

Yes, they were. Someone deliberately contaminated all the flasks after
the plants were growing and destroyed them all. Now there are supposedly
others growing in flask, but we'll all have to wait years for them here,
until the peruvian government decides they can be exported.

Read a shocking story by Olaf Gruss detailing the decimation of Phrag.
kovachii Peruvian habitat sites he
http://www.orchidspng.com/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?2/117