When you see some one offering cuttings from a plant that doesn't propagate via cuttings, do you say anything?
Yes I do, if someone doesn't beat me to it, since there are so many helpful folks. I once saw someone requesting peony cuttings, and they were quickly told that peonies can't be propagated via cuttings.

I'm not all that familiar with sterile seeds so have never mentioned that before.

Recently I did question seeds to a gigantic sweet pepper, asking if they were commercial or saved, since saved likely wouldn't produce a 'gigantic' pepper though it might be a nice sized one.

Occasionally I will also mention either in the thread or via email if someone is trading cuttings of patented plants....like Sedum Xenox.

I've seen members 'warn' about trading 'protected plants' too, but what is 'protected in one state' might not be protected in another state.

I've also noted occasionally if something doesn't come true from seed...like Blue Bird Rose of Sharon seeds will produce about every color 'but' blue.

Often I will try and back up whatever I post that way, by linking to a reliable info source.

Though there are a lot of plants I'm not at all familiar with, I'm wondering what you might have noticed. Were they maybe requesting a plant 'or' cutting?

chemocurl....aka Sue

I have noticed people offering cuttings too from plants that don't propagate by foliage cuttings. They need root divisions or crown separations.
Seems most people don't care about a plant being patented or not and just trade. This does surprise me, since trading patented plants is stealing from the breeder. My offers are always extra from the plant co-op and I do mention royalty tags are included.
I just read recently that seeds from the fancy new echinacea do not come true either.

Sue, I don't mean any post in particular, I just mean generally speaking.

I'm afraid to trade native plants most of the time (even though those are main interest) because I don't want people sending me what they've illegally taken from the wild. I guess a couple of seeds here and there and then growing them into plants is okay because most seeds don't survive to come full term anyways but not full grown plants.

There's a similar situation with an offer that's getting a lot of responses. Someone is offering some great plants. Unfortunately they are all high elevation cloud forest tropicals that can't take high heat. They really do best with daytime temps about 80 with cooler evening temps. All the people that have responded are in climates that are much too hot for these plants (I'm not sure that the person posting this offer knows this). I've been tempted to post this info but don't want to get anyone upset. This person contacted me and offered these plants. As much as I like them I did tell them that the summer here was too hot. I even cooled a greenhouse for a few years and attempted to grow some of these plants but with the super hot last couple summers I couldn't keep the GH under 85 and they declined rapidly.

I think it is only fair to speak up, the person posting may not know the plants can not be propagated via cuttings, OR that it may not survive outside the normal environment it is accustomed to, OR they do know and don't care because they ae looking for something specific and know what they are offering is highly sought after and folks will go all gaga over it.

Same goes for sterile seed, not everyone is a expert on plants and seed an in general may not have knowledge the plant can not be started from seed.

I think the people who DO have this knowledge should let other members know they can not grow from the seeds/cuttings offered. BUT I also think the person who will be posting these facts should send a message privately to the person who is offering either offers in these situations and gently tell them the facts about the offered items BEFORE posting publicly about them. This gives the original poster a chance to close the post themselves.
IF they choose not to close the offer, THEN something should be said. WITHOUT slamming the poster. It can be done with tact and grace.
I for one would want someone to tell me the facts about an offer IF I did reply to either kind of offer mentioned above simply because it is not fair for those responding to the offer not to get what they think they are getting. It would upset me to know I got something that would be impossible to make grow especially if I gave something really good for it! When there was someone who could have told me not to make the trade.
Plantwise postage is too high to lose on plants which can not be propagated via cuttings. It just isn't fair.
It is our responsibility as good GWbers to help out our fellow members I would definitely say something if I knew the offer is not going to come out good for the ones receiving.
Just my 2 cents on the subject,
:)Aqua

Good topic Im bumping it up :)

I trade a lots of native plants that I have dug from where roads are being built. I was told to take what I want. I have had trillium and a lots of other natives growing for years, that would have been dead if I hadn't gotten them. Not everyone that offers native plants are doing it wrong, ask. I also don't know all the plants that you are not to trade or sale. I would really like it if when anyone sees them being offered, they would say so. We also have plant digs each year when our land fills are going bigger for both city and county. There are all kind of ways to dig natives, without doing it wrong. Tony