Good question Kvan
I remember asking aqis this same question and the deal is if something is not listed it has not been risk assessed and is not allowed in. If something is not listed you need to fill in a request risk assessment form. I never did this but I believe it is a free service.
This link is in our collecting and importing forum. You will find there are many things we can bring in but also many things we can't.
http://www.aqis.gov.au/icon32/asp/ex_querycontent.asp
Many things such as carpinus seeds of non-commercial quantities need no special documentation and are as simple as posting them in. I recently had 1000 carpinus seeds in from Europe and it was the first time they where inspected by aqis.
The only reason we even have sueji elm in Australia is because a lady snuck in a piece for cutting in her bra but it is important to remember every year there are more and more diseases that make it into Australia because people bring stuff in illegal. Consider how lucky we are in Australia
Dutch Elm Disease was first noticed in France in 1918 and identified in Holland in 1922 - hence its name. In the 1980s it killed 90% of England's elms and 50% of Europe's elms. Elm leaf beetle is a pest on the trees, defoliating and depleting the trees' vigour, but it does not spread Dutch Elm Disease. It's the elm bark beetle that does this, by spreading Dutch Elm Disease fungus spores onto the trees and into the soil. Both these beetles are in Australia but as yet Dutch Elm Disease is not. As a result, Australia has some of the best stands of elm trees left in the world.
We have lots of JBP in Australia you would be better served searching them out and organising the collection of the seed locally.
What about the Chinese gardens in Sydney harbour. Is anyone collecting seeds from those trees. Maybe contact Phillipe out there.
It's too bad your in such a hurry cause the stories I could tell you, Bushels and baskets of stories, hole crates full of stories. But if you can spare a moment I will tell you one story.
