Lemmy, what did i get in the mail?

Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world – 304 points – 5 months ago

Weird story, so about 9 years ago we sold our house to a family member, who rented it out. Those renters reached out to them and said that we got a package. We still live in the area so I went and got it from them.

We have no idea what this is, or who sent it. When I search that sku I can't find much except an article about how Americans are getting sent seeds from China, the return address is from Equatorial Guinea. But even if they are seeds, what are they? Also why?

What you got Lemmy? Maybe put a sarcasm tag on your response if you have a humorous thought. But I really want to know. Google lens thinks they are bugs.

The label is in Chinese (simplified characters common in China) and translates as “100 rainbow chrysanthemum seeds”. I have no idea whether the contents are what the label claims.

Yeah, but that's the boring answer.

It's just code for "dark matter from Temu"

My other half gets identical packages arrive all the time, looks about right for chrysanthemum seeds

Those little pip things on new tires, you gotta glue them on individually!

cilia

They help the tires move phlegm from the inner to the outer treads.

I just recently learned!

Go back! Tread not on this dark path, padawan. Learning leads to the dark... places.

I prefer flagelli for my tires, personally.

I thought they were hangnails for tires

No question. You must be right.

They are most likely seeds. Whatever you do, DON’T plant them. If you’re in the USA, contact someone from your state’s Agricultural Department.

Could you also just like Burn them or something

Unless they are fire type, in which case you might make things worse.

For a moment I thought it was a pokemon joke, then I realised it's an actual legit concern.

It was a pokemon joke. But now you mention it, there are plants whose seeds can only grow after a forest fire!

I wonder if boiling water would be a good disposal method? Plant matter can probably be flushed down the drain if it's properly dead.

You should probably Google sewage treatment plant tomatoes and see how the seeds don't die when you flush them. Aka poop tomatos

https://youtu.be/Ni80nNwOET0?si=bozSxOJvwsx3gcM6

Do you boil tomatoes before eating them?

It’s a brushing scam. You’re now going to find that somewhere online, you have left wonderful reviews for their products.

You ought to love humanity. "We are shipping flower seeds halfway across the globe so we have at least some legitimacy to make an online rating marginally better"

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Yeah, np, OP that says these are 彩虹菊花种子.

You're now a mod of r/Beijing

Maybe I can reverse my own ban...

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Hah!

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100 rainbow Chrysanthemum seeds

There is a kind called “Livingstone Daisy” we just translate it to rainbow😂 Example

Might as well plant them then!

This is what's called a Brushing Scam.

Holy shit there’s really an USPIS??

“Nine-nine!”

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get a muff with some bloobs.

I remember a few years ago on the other place that starts with "R", there were a bunch of people who were randomly sent seed packets from China. Big debate on whether they should plant them and if it would start the zombie apocalypse or not. Some planted them and it grew to be wildflowers...so far.

TLDR: seeds

I just wanted to acknowledge your usage of the TLDR here. I just about could not be bothered to read your three sentences, but the alluring, quite interesting and enthralling TLDR hooked me in an instance and there I was reading your diatribe, absorbing and riding high on each and every word! It was altogether glorious, so I am extending this laurel and hearty handshake to you in appreciation!

TLDR: thanks

You all are awesome. What's the best way to dispose of them?

Send them to someone random

Make it someone else's problem, I like it.

Fire.

Crush up and snort

Plant them

Do not plant them. You have no idea what the seeds are. The label means nothing. Could be an invasive species.

Burn them.

Could also be something cool, like sentient fly traps.

The label actually says what they are and they are benign. If you don't speak the language, why would you say "it doesn't say anything"?

Yes, lets trust the label that a scammer put on a package, seeing as they have been so trustworthy so far!

Back when this first started several years ago a number of the seed packs were found to be mislabeled.

So while it is labeled, OP can have nearly zero confidence that it's the correct label.

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Trash should be fine. They aren't going to enjoy the soil at the dump.

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As other people have mentioned, please don't plant them. You have no idea what the seeds are and they could be invasive. As for why; no one's sure, but many people think it's some kind of weird customer rating scam. Like, they send you seeds and then use your info to make a fake review or something.

Those are the seeds used to grow charcoal briquettes.
/s

Rainbow chrysanthemum flower seeds

According to google translate + OCR on the label.

Trusting labels on mystery seeds is...

Unwise.

Especially as others have noted that this is some weird Chinese algorithm rigging/scam/plot to destroy America?

I didn't provide any advice as to what to do with them. Simply an English translation of the label and my method of acquiring it.

The Chinese reads that it's a seed for some type of flower. Unfortunately, I don't know quite enough Chinese to know what exact type of flower

Looks like rainbow chrysanthemum according to the iOS translate feature.

EDIT: and a Google search explains that “rainbow chrysanthemum” flowers don’t actually exist in a natural form, and seeds claiming to be them are usually just standard chrysanthemum seeds dyed to look different and won’t produce rainbow flowers.