(FORTUNE Magazine) – WASHINGTON -- The Commerce Department initiated an investigation of alleged unfair trading practices by suppliers of freshly cut flowers in ten countries. The department . . . is conducting anti-dumping and unfair-subsidy investigations of flower imports from Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Kenya, and Peru . . . The types of flowers covered by the investigation include . . . carnations, standard and pompon chrysanthemums, . . . and a new Dutch-developed product called alstroemeria. -- From a news report in the Wall Street Journal.