Tag Archive for: Caulophyllum thalictroides seeds

September seeds

Many thanks to all customers who are placing orders at this time!
Due to the on-going seeds collecting and updating of the inventory, the shipping of the orders may be a bit slower than usual. Also, while I appreciate the enthusiasm, please keep the orders short for now; focus on the moist packed species category, Helleborus, Aralia, and all others that require immediate sowing.

For customers new to growing from seeds, especially moist-packed species, please review: FAQ – moist packed seeds.
And don’t forget to read various articles from the Germination page.

Latest seeds collected:
Caulophyllum thalictroides, which has been shown so many times, and the germination discussed at length; the inventory will be replenished next  week.

Also, two species that require first a bit of double checking before becoming available: Houstonia canadensis, Canada summer bluets and Lobelia kalmii, Kalm’s Lobelia.

In late summer we can always admire various native Lobelia species, both in the garden and wild areas. Not only they are colorful and beautiful, they are also invaluable for all pollinators. There is no rush to purchase the seeds tough; they require a moist/cold stratification – i.e. sowing to be done in late fall/early winter.

Lobelia kalmii

Lobelia siphilitica white and Ipomopsis rubra

Lobelia siphilitica

Latest seeds; recap on Trillium germination

First, in the idea that a picture is worth a thousand words: Trillium grandiflorum leftover seeds from 2021, germinating after following a warm (summer-fall 2021)- cold (winter 2021-2022) – warm (spring-summer 2022) cycles regime. 
They took me by surprise, usually the rootlets start to grow somewhere in September.

Trillium grandiflorum germinated seeds from 2021 harvest; they need one more cold cycle (winter 2022) for the leaves to appear

As I mentioned before, from any batch of Trillium grandiflorum seeds, part of them always germinate (root) in the first fall and the remaining seeds will germinate in the second fall. So, those who purchased T. grandiflorum  seeds last year may have in their pots a combination of seedlings with the first leaves plus only germinated seeds (root only, like in the picture). It is also possible to have only germinated seeds (like seen in the picture).

Other Trillium species follow the same pattern (complete germination in 2 years), others germinate entirely in the first season, and others only germinate in the second year (e.g., Trillium erectum usually only germinates in the second year after sowing).


Latest seeds collected:
Caulophyllum thalictroides and Actaea pachypoda fo. rubrocarpa (wild)

Edraianthus graminifolius, Roscoea schneideriana and Roscoea tibetica  (garden)
Clematis occidentalis and Clematis alpina (on-going) – these are early spring flowering species.

Edraianthus graminifolius, Aurinia

Clematis occidentalis

Clematis alpina

Roscoea tibetica

The Seeds Shop will be open for orders starting August 29th. There will be another announcement with few a important details on Sunday (Aug. 28th) before the re-opening.

The Seeds List has been updated as much as possible. Plus, there is a tab with various announcements at the top. It is always a work in progress: some species get sold out fast and for others the seeds are ready only later in the fall.

The first species that require attention/sowing right away are the following:
ALL Moist Packed seeds, Paeonia, Helleborus, Lilium species, Actaea, Aralia, Hydrophyllum.

Besides using the Seed List, on the main page click on the SEEDS SHOP tab on top-right for a direct access to various categories.

There is hope for more seeds collecting to be done this week. Until next…

Lindera and the blue cohosh

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Lindera benzoin, Northern spicebush, Forsythia of the wilds

Early in the spring (mid-April in some years) the flowering of Lindera, which grows as an understory, lightens up the deciduous woodlands. The small, abundant, bright yellow flowers are a sign of the long awaited spring and very useful to the early pollinators! The species it is also a favorite larval host for the beautiful Spicebush swallowtail and Promethea silkmoth.

Later in the fall, the foliage turns yellow providing a wonderful background for the shiny red, abundant fruits (female and male plants need to be grown together). They provide food for countless bird species.

The fleshy part of the fruits was/it is chopped and utilized as an allspice, hence the common name.
Read more about it and its fruits, seeds and germination: Here

Lindera benzoin, early spring

Lindera benzoin, fall

Lindera benzoin, one-year old seedlings

Caulophyllum thalictroides, Blue cohosh

How many times I have written about Caulophyllum? One of my favourite wildflower because of the purple shoots that emerge in early spring and the beautiful foliage: a well grown plant of Caulophyllum can be easily taken for a peony. It is also an important medicinal plant.

The desire to grow it from seeds for my garden lead to an in depth study on its seeds and germination pattern. The seeds are hydrophilic to extreme! I repeat it, because people are still trying to grow it from dry seeds = dead seeds.

Caulophyllum giganteum, early spring

Caulophyllum thalictroides, early spring foliage

Caulophyllum thalictroides, summer

Caulophyllum and Trillium grandiflorum

Caulophyllum thalictroides seeds

Caulophyllum giganteum seedlings

Few other posts on Caulophyllum: Purple beasties, Berberidaceae seeds and embryos, Caulosaurus

I will end with a picture taken last year in the garden. One more writing tomorrow and we’re done, spring is nearing and there are so many things to be done seedlings wise, before the purple beasties emerge :)

Caulophyllum giganteum garden grown, about 5 years old

Native woodland garden recipe

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Select a large container (preferably a rectangular one), add a good potting soil mixture, press firmly and add:
 1/2 tbs Trillium grandiflorum seeds (+/- 50 s)
1 tbs Uvularia grandiflora seeds (+30 s)
1/2 tbs Clintonia borealis seeds (or other Trillium species)
1 tbs Caulophyllum thalictroides seeds (+/- 14 s)

Cover with 2+ cm of the same mixture and press well
Water slowly
Simmer for at least 2 years in a shaded location
For best results, dug the container in the ground, cover with a mesh; dry leaves in the fall
You may need to top up with fresh soil in the spring
Continue simmering, check regularly the water status
Ready to consume after 3-4 years (ie. to transplant the seedlings)

Trillium grandiflorum seeds

Uvularia grandiflora seeds

Clintonia borealis seeds

Optional, for more flavor sprinkle with:
Streptopus amplexifolius
Actaea spp.
Mitchella repens

Depending on the necessity, you can reduce the recipe in half, replace some of the species, or use individual pots grouped together in a flat or holding container.
*Those adventurous can also sow all these species ‘in situ’ (double up the recipe in that case).

Joke aside, from my own experience it is much easier to handle plant species with similar requirements for germination/growing conditions when grouped together.

Freshly cleaned Caulophyllum thalictroides seeds are back in stock!
Also more Podophyllum peltatum seeds!

Don’t forget to sow the moist packed seeds as soon as possible!
Thank you – Merci- Good luck!

 

Few older postings of interest:
Moist packing – what’s that?
We got the moist packed seeds – now what?
FAQ – moist packed seeds

           

Moist packing – what’s that?

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As I was packing seeds today, I thought that maybe some people who never bought or they buy for the first time moist packed seeds may wonder what they would get.

Sometimes I get questions as well, so although I have shown pictures in previous posts, it is good to tell again. There is no secret; seeds that are known to be hydrophilic (to make a long story short – these are seeds which need to be sown right away after collecting or if not, kept moist to preserve their viability), are cleaned from the fruits and stored in slightly moist vermiculite in Ziploc bags. And no, there is no need to spray the seeds with anything chemical.

For shipping, the portion of seeds is placed in smaller bags with a bit of the moist vermiculite (*exception for some AU and NZ orders, when the seeds may be packed with a piece of moist paper towel). These seeds are to be sown right away after receiving.

Asarum canadense moist packed seeds for shipping

These small bags are not intended for storing the seeds long term!!! (I know someone tried to do that, that’s why I mention it). If you really want to keep the seeds longer, and /or provide stratification in the fridge instead of sowing, you need to transfer them in larger bags with added moist vermiculite (slightly moist peat works as well).

Very small seeds, like those of Coptis shown in the picture, are easily sown by spreading the content of the bag on top of the potting mix (no need to pick the seeds from the vermiculite). Even larger seeds are better sown this way.

Coptis trifolia moist packed seeds

In case of hydrophilic seeds, if kept dry they will either not germinate at all, or will germinate poorly/over a longer period of time. Keeping them moist and allowed the required cycles that mimic the natural conditions will result most times, in 100% germination in the spring. It is a lot of extra work but worth doing it.

Corydalis solida seedlings

Jeffersonia diphylla seedlings

Jeffersonia diphylla seedlings

Claytonia virginica seedlings

Claytonia virginica seedlings

Hepatica americana seedlings

Sanguinaria canadensis seedlings

Stylophorum diphyllum

Thank you! – Merci! to all our customers

 

Berberidaceae seeds and embryos

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Update: GA3 treatment makes no difference for Caulophyllum or other species like it which have immature embryos; they need to be kept moist (or sown fresh) and allowed the required warm/cold cycles, multiple times in case of Caulophyllum (2-3 years).

Speaking about the inside winter gardening, this year I am trying to use GA3 to speed up the germination of Caulophyllum thalictroides (and a few others). There would be much to say about Caulophyllum seeds, from the fact that they develop outside the ovary and have a drupe-like look, they must be kept moist at all times after collecting, to the fact that they have a tiny immature embryo (it’s very hard to see it even with a hand-lens) but a gigantic corneous endosperm…
But I am only showing my new method of treating the seeds with a GA3 solution and then placing them back in vermiculite in the same small plastic bags, instead of using moist towel/Ziploc or sowing in pots. At this point, the embryos are most likely at the torpedo stage.

Caulophyllum thalictroides - GA3 treatments
Caulophyllum thalictroides seeds - vermiculite storage

I think it is a great method for medium to large size seeds and a super space saver (which is of my high interest right now). It is easy to see if/when something germinates, and I had proof that the roots can grow quite a bit on the support they get from vermiculite (in contrast to keeping the seeds in moist towels, where the new roots get entangled and are easily damaged).

If someone is curious to browse the gallery (hover for caption): sectioned seeds/embryos of Caulophyllum, Podophyllum peltatum and of Ranzania japonica, a most intriguing species from the same family as Caulophyllum (Berberidaceae). Many members of this family, which simply fascinates me, are difficult to grow from seeds: think Epimedium, Podophyllum, Jeffersonia, Vancouveria…I will be most happy to grow Ranzania – it looks like a cool hybrid plant between Glaucidium and Anemonopsis!
A few Epimedium and Jeffersonia diphylla were sown early summer last year. We’ll see about that… Update 2017 – the first seedling flowered this year!

C. thalictroides, moist kept seeds in January
Caulophyllum thalictroides - dry and moist kept cross-sectioned seeds
C. thalictroides: cross-section through seed
C. thalictroides - cross-sectioned seed with exposed torpedo embryo
Podophyllum peltatum - moist stored seeds, just starting to germinate
Ranzania japonica flower
Ranzania japonica seeds

What’s cooking?

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My kitchen has become a small scale operation – thinking fruit pies, jams and jellies?

Caulophyllum thalictroides

Caulophyllum thalictroides seeds

Caulophyllum thalictroides (Blue cohosh) blue seeds will easily pass for blueberries but unfortunately are poisonous if ingested in large quantities. That’s very improbable to happen though because what seems like a big berry is actually a single huge seed surrounded by a thin fleshy and blue seed coat.

More likely to lose a tooth or two than being poisoned!

Caulophyllum thalictroides cleaned seeds

Caulophyllum thalictroides cleaned seeds

On the other hand, Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple) fruit it is/has been used to prepare jams and jellies. The big size fruit (hog apple, wild lemon, Indian apple), when fully ripen has a light yellow colour and a persimmon fragrance (in my opinion). It is actually the only part of the plant that’s not toxic.

Podophyllum peltatum fruits

Podophyllum peltatum fruits

To ensure good germination seeds of both species have to be placed in moist storage right away. They belong to a large category of species with hydrophylic seeds (intolerant of dry storage).

Also, both species are important North American medicinal woodland plants.

Podophyllum peltatum seeds

Mayapple seeds – enclosed in a gooey substance

PS. In case you have available large quantities of mayapple fruits to make jam, be kind and promote a sustainable harvest (always) by discarding the seeds in a nearby wooden area.

Would you care for some seeds?- click