BOONEVILLE, Ark. — In August 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began warning people to watch out for unsolicited packages of seeds shipped from China.
Experts were concerned the seeds could be an invasive species and could hurt the surrounding environment if planted.
Before word got out, a man in Booneville planted the seeds and they had been growing in his garden.
"We brought them down here and planted the seeds just to see what would happen, every two weeks I'd come by and put miracle grow on it and they just started growing like crazy," said Doyle Crenshaw.
Experts are unsure what this plant really is, but the concern is it turning out to be an invasive species, which could hurt local agriculture.
Watch our report from 2020:
"Our concern is from an invasive pest aspect, these seeds could introduce an invasive weed, or an invasive insect pest or a plant disease," Scott Bray with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture told 5NEWS when this story originally ran in August 2020.
The plant has a large white fruit and orange flowers, much resembling a squash plant.
"The package said it was from China and said "studded earrings" on the outside, and we thought that was a little odd," Crenshaw said.
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is removing the plant from Crenshaw's property for further study.
If you receive these seeds, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture says to place them in a sealed package and give them a call to pick them up. More information can be found on their website.
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