CHINESE PUZZLE SHOCKS

Mystery seeds sprouting

An Arkansas man who received one of the mysterious seed packages sent to thousands of US residents from China planted them on his property — and said they are “growing like crazy.”

“We . . . planted the seeds just to see what would happen,’’ Booneville resident Doyle Crenshawn told local CBS-TV affiliate KSFM.

The plant is producing large white fruit from orange flowers that resemble those of a squash.

“Every two weeks, I’d come by and put Miracle-Gro on it, and they just started growing like crazy,’’ Crenshawn said.

He planted the seeds before agriculture officials issued a warning to recipients not to put them in the ground, the station reported.

“Our concern is from an invasivepest aspect: These seeds could introduce an invasive weed or an invasive insect pest or a plant disease,” Scott Bray of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture told the outlet.

Residents in all 50 states reported getting the unsolicited seed packages beginning last month.

The seeds arrive in little, sealed, clear plastic pouches and are tucked in standard-size light-gray or beige envelopes — sometimes labeled as jewelry.

“The package said it was from China and said ‘studded earrings’ on the outside, and we thought that was a little odd,” Crenshaw said.

It is unclear who is behind the packages, but US agriculture officials have said they believe the seeds may be part of a “brushing scam” in which people receive goods they never ordered and the sender then posts a fake customer review in their name to help boost sales. The Department of Agriculture is urging recipients to keep the seeds sealed and call to have them picked up.