Lost in translation – updates on germination requirements

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Slowly, as I have the chance to try more species myself, and/or find reliable info, I work on making updates for the germination requirements on the Seeds shop. I already mentioned about Sanguinaria canadensis.

It is easy to ‘get lost in translation’ when reading about various types of morphophysiological dormancies, but a short summary for species from temperate regions that require warm/cold cycle for germination will be as follows:

This dormancy breaking requirement is naturally fulfilled by summer (high temperatures) followed by fall (lower warm temperatures) and winter (cold stratification). Note the need of high followed by low(er) warm temperatures.

Because of the collecting/shop logistics and peoples habit of buying seeds in late fall, this means that such species, when sowed in late fall/winter will need the whole next season to undergo these requirements, although otherwise they would not qualify in the ‘2 year germinators’ category.
So it goes: changed from require ‘cold stratification’ to ‘warm – cold stratification’:

Hydrophyllum virginianum
Hydrophyllum canadense
Aralia racemosa
Prosartes lanuginosa (moist packed seeds available this fall I hope)
Ilex verticillata

Hydrophyllum virginianum seedlings, seed sown fall 2015, too late for the warm treatment, germinated this spring (2017)

Prosartes lanuginosa: seeds sown after collecting in early September 2016 – germination right now (I only had about 9 seeds)

Other warm/cold germinators that we already know about and I already posted pictures (many require moist storage): most Corydalis, Allium tricoccum, Asarum canadense and europaeum, Saruma, Anemone quinquefolia and A. nemorosa, Dicentra (D. formosa in the featured image), Thalictrum thalictroides, Jeffersonia, Hepatica….

Corydalis nobilis seedlings

4 replies
  1. diversifolius
    diversifolius says:

    Don’t mention it please. I have a direct interest in these translations.Interesting though, how for most temperate perennials we assume they would need first a cold period just because the seeds are ready towards the fall.

  2. sueturner31
    sueturner31 says:

    I have found this very interesting as I have had seeds of various plants in pots for several months. Some have now germinated just as I was ready to discard….so it does pay to have patience. At the other end of the scale waiting for some plants to flower takes the patience of a saint… Peony Woodwardii… Podophyllum Hexhandra..Passiflora Popenovii … to name just 3…. but hey that’s the joy of gardening… thanks.

  3. diversifolius
    diversifolius says:

    Dear Sue, for many other species it takes 2+ years to germinate, and of course even more to flower.The trick is not to ‘wait’, as the sowing goes on every year
    there will be something to germinate on a regular base, and the same goes for flowering :)
    Thanks for stopping by.

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