The Tropical Fruit Forum

Quote from: mikkel on October 20, 2025, 05:07:42 AM

No one is claiming that these are fake varieties, no one is claiming that the plants are guaranteed to be diseased.
No one is saying that you don't deliver good quality.
The point is: it is not legal to import these varieties into the EU.
The buyer then bears the possible consequences of this.

Yes your shity EU nurseries with fake varieties are much better... congratulations, you destroyed a dream! I will continue with my paradise just to myself!

This is a picture of the Princess Delight lychee that my Mom took. I need to see if I can get some more pictures from her.

I am afraid that most people would agree with you regarding Groff.

I think I have seen the lychee sudden death and believe that it is linked, at least in some cases, to armillaria.

Just to be clear this is the legal situation:

(everyone take his decisions and maybe you have just luck)
 

At the EU border, checks are compulsory.
Any plants coming from outside the EU must enter via an EU Border Control Post (BCP) and get document, identity, and physical checks.

Who is the importer?
The person the parcel is addressed to is treated as the “operator responsible for the consignment.” A seller or “middleman” in the EU doesn’t change that if the box ships to you directly from a non-EU country.

Pre-notify in TRACES (CHED-PP).
Before arrival, the operator responsible must file an online Common Health Entry Document for Plants & Plant Products (CHED-PP) in the EU’s TRACES system and present the parcel at a BCP.

If something’s wrong, you pay.
If the consignment fails the checks (wrong papers, pests, wrong routing, etc.), authorities can order destruction or special treatment and bill the operator responsible for the costs.

Phytosanitary certificate is mandatory.
Plants for planting must be accompanied by a valid phytosanitary certificate; only a few narrowly defined items are exempt.

Some plants are classed “high-risk.”
The EU keeps a High-Risk Plants list that are temporarily banned from import until a risk assessment is done. That is the case with Citrus.

Bottom line:
Even with an EU “middleman,” if the parcel ships directly from China to you, you are the importer. Without BCP entry, CHED-PP, and a valid phytosanitary certificate, the shipment will be stopped and usually destroyed at your expense, and you can face national penalties on top.

e.g. Germany: fines up to €50,000.
If you break plant-health rules, German law allows administrative fines up to €50k (on top of losing the goods).

What I mostly grow is Matina cacao. We also have a legitimate criollo cacao that produces completely white seeds. I’ve been planting out more of the criollo along with the Matina and some Trinitario.
I’ve also got other theobromas and a few herranias in my collection.
Peter

I guess the one guy with a ton of cacao varieties would be none other than Bryan Brunner in PR.
And I assume the origin of a lot of the varieties he has came from the experimental station out there.

There's a new variety coming out soon. It is from Japan, it is called Tanaka passion fruit. A friend just tasted the fruit (received from source) and he says it has a different flavor than the Taiwanese Purple, and he ranks it in the top 3 in overall taste.

I will need to go get a cutting. My Qinmi#9 vine is holding fruit for the first time.