Mother's Day marks a high point in flower sales and deliveries in the United States, with last year's spending exceeding $3 billion, including imports. This makes the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) wary of the potential threat that imported flowers pose to the nation's agriculture and environment.

Risks and Restrictions on Flower Importation

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol is reminding people about the restrictions and risks of importing flowers as Mother's Day gifts, including certain items from Mexico.

According to a press release from CBP, Mother's Day sees a surge in flower imports, which could bring pests and diseases harmful to U.S. agriculture and the environment. Certain items like flowers, greenery, potted plants, and soil are prohibited to avoid introducing plant diseases, invasive insects, and parasitic nematodes due to their destructive nature that diminish the quality of ornamental plants and crops and could result in millions of eradication efforts and export trade restrictions.

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Prohibited Plants and Ornaments

One of the plants CBP mentioned was Chrysanthemums, a common cut flower from Mexico and the most popular Mother's Day gift. CBP warned that bringing these plants through passenger ports of entry is banned because a fungus called Chrysanthemum White Rust is common in them. This fungus causes a devastating floral disease to crops that could also endanger flower growers.

CBP also cautioned against various types of greenery used in bouquets to enhance the appearance of floral arrangements, such as "Orange jasmine," or Murraya, which could contain the potential presence of pests and diseases if illegally imported.

CBP Manning Port Entries

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is ramping up vigilance for floral arrangements ahead of Mother's Day weekend. It expresses concern about the possibility of invasive pests and plant diseases being inadvertently transported within flowers imported from other countries, which could have adverse effects on the ecosystem and lead to considerable damage to habitats across the nation.

On Wednesday, Hector Mancha, CBP's director of field operations in El Paso, Texas, stated that CBP usually experiences a surge in floral imports in the days leading up to Mother's Day observances. Hence, all the hard-working and vigilant CBP agricultural specialists will be stationed at ports of entry to ensure that all imported floral arrangements are devoid of insects, pests, or diseases.

Mancha also encourages travelers to declare all agricultural products they bring into the country to CBP and strongly advises the public to check the CBP website before importing floral arrangements to understand which flowers are allowed and which are restricted or prohibited.

According to the Library of Congress, the tradition of giving Mother's Day flowers can be traced back to Anna Jarvis, the holiday's founder, who began wearing white carnations in honor of her mother and later donated them to her church congregation in Grafton, W.Va., during Mother's Day celebrations. Her use of flower symbolism gained popularity nationwide in the early 1900s after an article in the Weekly Florist Review promoted carnations, her favorite flower, for Mother's Day.

 

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