The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday warned residents against planting unsolicited packages of seeds arriving from China because they could harm the environment, reports Reuters.
At least eight states, from Washington to Ohio, have also told residents in recent days not to put the seeds in the ground, after they arrived apparently from China in the mailboxes of people who did not order them.
Officials said the seeds could be invasive species that could threaten crops or livestock.
“At this point in time we don’t have enough information to know if this is a hoax, a prank, an internet scam or an act of agricultural bioterrorism,” Ryan Quarles, Kentucky’s agriculture commissioner.
Photos of packages that state agriculture departments posted on social media show seeds of different sizes, shapes and colors that arrived in white or yellow envelopes. State officials said some packages were labeled as jewelry and may have contained Chinese writing.