Buying orchids from Puerto Rico and importing to USA?

[astrid]

Hey everyone,

I found a great ebay seller called orchidsbyeli2014

I want to order this gorgeous encyclia cochleata from them (and a schomburgkia tibicini... and an encyclia cochliata var. alba... and more...) but I am worried about C.I.T.E.S. issues and importing them and customs and all that.

Since Puerto Rico is a US territory, I am wondering if importing would be merely like ordering an orchid from another one of the states.

So, have any of you ordered from Puerto Rico? How was it? I will snap this encyclia up in a heartbeat if I know I can safely get it here!!
Here it is:
Encyclia Cochleata Orchid Plant | eBay

Also, do you know the particular type of enciclya cochleata this is??
I really love its unique appearance compared to others, so I am guessing there must be a certain type like this and I might be able to search for it elsewhere if ordering from Puerto Rico is an issue in the mainland states of the US.

Thanks everyone!

[Ray]

Go for it. No permits required. Eli has some nice stuff, and a good reputation.


Ray Barkalow
firstrays.com

[Subrosa]

Also fyi, CITES documentation is only required when working with CITES listed species. Importation of unlisted species requires only the import permit and phytosanitary certification.

[astrid]

Originally Posted by Subrosa

Also fyi, CITES documentation is only required when working with CITES listed species. Importation of unlisted species requires only the import permit and phytosanitary certification.

Oh, I thought it applied to quite a number of orchids. Interesting.

The OS meeting I just went to was talking about CITES permits for importing orchids, and talking about what a nightmare it was to do large-scale importing and exporting, and how easy it is to get into trouble over orchids coming in without proper documentation.
They made it sound like any orchid your buy across international lines is going to be a headache. But perhaps they're just a bunch of nerds who want to import really rare and unique plants?

Additionally, since Puerto Rico is in this weird limbo status of "part of the US but kind of not quite" I wasn't sure! But good to know. I am so excited because there are some NICE orchids for sale... <3