To me, this auction raises some serious questions about the honesty or at least, the accuracy of the vendor's knowledge.
First of all, that photo of kovachii has been around for years and belongs to Alfredo Manrique of Peru, or, one of his Peruvian accociates. I'm a suspicious type and I'm just wondering if the seller has permission to use that photo. I hope so.
Next is the fact that the plants ship from Texas and the cross is kovachii x d'alessandroi.....which indicates that kovachii is the capsule parent. Add to that the fact that the vendor says that if you are the first person to bloom one of these plants, you get to name the cross. Only the originator of the cross can grant that permission. Just because you may bloom the first seedling doesn't automatically give you the right to name the cross, unless the originator of the cross gives you permission. So, in order for the vendor to grant that permission, he must be the originator of the cross, which begs the next question; where did he get a blooming kovachii inside the USA, in order to make this cross? So, assuming that he does not have any illegal kovachii, then we can presume this vendor imported the flasks from Peru.....Peruflora?....or, Centro de Jardineria Manrique?.....but, are either of these nurseries really going to just give away the right to name the cross, just as the vendor promises that you can do? I simply find that hard to believe.
Plus, even though d'alessandroi has long been identified as a distinct species from besseae, this vendor still calls the cross "...x besseae", which makes me wonder how much he really knows about these plants, since this fundamental lineage information is lacking accuracy.
Of course, everything could be all above board and legit; and the problem here is that the information has been poorly reported and there isn't enough information, which leaves room for lots of questions. The vendor would be wise to take a little time to revise his auction, address these issues and remove any doubt about the accuracy and legality of this offer. I know that if I was in the USA and interested in these plants, I wouldn't bid until I had more information about them and the vendor.
In time, there will be so many kovachii crosses and adult plants all over the USA, that nobody at the USDA will really care about the domestic supply anymore. However, right now, it is my impression that the "kovachii saga" is still closely monitored to identify kovachii related illegal activity.