By Eris Lowdermilk
At the beginning of 2020, mysterious packages were sent to numerous United States residents from China. North Carolina had a reported amount of 1,500 packages. Sixty-seven of the seed packages were planted by the recipients.
Some reported that a clover sprouted, while some consumed the product from what they harvested. Most concerns were what would occur if the mystery seeds ended up in a landfill.
Overall, less than 30 people had already demolished them, which included burning them or flushing them down the toilet. Other states that obtained these strange packages including California, Idaho, Mississippi, and others. It was strongly advised those who collected the seeds should report them to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Not everyone received seeds in their packages; some included stud earrings, gloves, and teeth whitening gel as claimed by a spreadsheet.
The seeds were originally perceived as an online scam, they were initially labeled as ‘mystery seeds’ and were from China amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The known and identified reports of the seeds can be found here.
Fowler, Haley. (2020, September 9). What did North Carolinians do with those mystery seeds from China? A lot, records show. The News & Observer. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article245600535.html
Koebler, Jadon. (2020, September 8). Hundreds of Americans Planted ‘Chinese Mystery Seeds’. Vice. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/akz9qk/hundreds-of-americans-planted-chinese-mystery-seeds?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=curated_vice_daily_1023202&experimentID=eKHMOHYPTJCJSqzqCWSZjA&variantID=