Polygala paucifolia seeds – Botanically Inclined

The first wave

Propagation, Wildflowers of North America

Although work is still ‘in progress’, most of the species available up to date have been posted on the Seeds List and diligent people have already started their fall shopping.
It is time to advise all interested to do the same; due to the extreme drought in the region, many species will be in limited quantities this year, even those which usually come in bigger quantities. Some species are restricted to 1 pck./order, at least for the beginning of the season.

A second wave will come in late Sept/October. I’m not talking about Covid, we are all tired to hear about it. There are species still in flower or at the end of flowering and for those the seeds will be ripening late.

Keep in mind that mail delivery is slower than usual, although not too bad lately; we have to give Canada Post and all other postal services around the world some credit. Like everyone else, they have had a hard time adjusting to new rules and regulations.

Get excited this fall – grow some plants from seeds and help biodiversity thrive in your garden. Purchase whatever you are interested in and keep the seeds packets handy – sow the cold germinators in late fall and the warm germinators in early spring.
The moist packed seeds, seeds with warm/cold germination pattern and the peony species need to be sown asap.

New to growing from seeds? Have a look first at the Germination page, read a few postings there, take a deep breath, read some more and after that decide what’s good for you.

For all newcomers to this blog/website: Welcome! I hope you enjoy the various writings about plants & germination. Keep in mind that using the Search tab will give you access to everything written on a certain subject.

This is also the start of a series of plant portraits, featuring species from the current SEEDS LIST.

Polygala paucifolia, aka fringed polygala, gaywings

Fringe polygala is a native species of North America deciduous and mixed forests, with a low growing habit; a perfect plant for a moist/shaded spot in the rockery or at the edge of the woodland garden. If flowers in May, sometimes overlapping with Trillium grandiflorum. The flowers are large, deep pink with wing-like sepals and petals joined at the tip and ended with a frilly crest. Read more, including how to germinate and grow it & plant companions on the product page: Polygala paucifolia.

A show-stopper when flowering, to say the least! Although a most desirable species, it is extremely hard to catch the seeds at the proper time, like the case with all Polygala species. I am always pleased to be able to offer and share seeds of such species rarely seen in cultivation just because lack of seeds. This year there are more seeds than usual – Enjoy :)

Polygala paucifolia in habitat in May, SW Ontario

August 26, 2020

A risky business – Polygala paucifolia

Plant portraits, Propagation, Wildflowers of North America

I think some are imagining that trying to open a business of selling wild collected seeds is a breeze – happily wandering in fields and mountains and grabbing here and there whatever comes under your eyes. Well, very far away from the truth. For example, who would think about stumbling into a massasauga rattlesnake (the only venomous snake in Ontario), while collecting Polygala paucifolia seeds!

: Massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus)

The timing to collect Polygala is almost impossible; the fruiting/seed setting is usually low and then the seeds are equipped with elaiosomes that ants will carry away very fast. So, there is no wonder that seeds are almost never offered and, although desirable, neither are the plants! Looking at the flowers, you understand why all this is worthwhile!

: Polygala paucifolia

My germination trials with Polygala seeds showed that dry stored seeds in the fridge, sown in the spring germinate very well, and also the seedlings are developing very well. Seeds stored moist-cold, germinate later and in a lower percentage.

: Polygala paucifolia seedlings – germination 95%; they may look small size but remember that this is a little plant

Would you care for some seeds? - click

PS. Keep your eyes wide open when hiking in the rattlesnake habitat! When moving, it makes a low rattle noise to make you aware, but when standing still it is very well camouflaged and it doesn’t rattle. They give birth to live baby-snakes, finger-size but already venomous! It is designated a species at risk in Ontario – more about it on Reptiles and Amphibians of Ontario website.

August 12, 2014

A yummy treat – Polygala paucifolia

Plant portraits, Propagation, Wildflowers of North America

Polygala paucifolia - in the Bruce Peninsula, Ontario

One of my goals is to concentrate on the propagation of a few N. American native plants that would be as prized in our garden as any Chinese or S. American novelties. The hype of using native plants in our gardens and landscapes it always cut short by their difficulty to propagate (and by the lack of available seeds collections, of course). Whatever doesn’t fit into the profile of mass-production has been abandoned or perhaps not even tried in cultivation.

Besides serving an ornamental function, expanding into cultivation a few of the hard to find and/or propagate N. American species, would serve also a conservation purpose by maintaining and enriching the genetic material/ biodiversity through sexual propagation.Conservation through cultivation, (aka propagation) has already proved its importance in a few unfortunate cases of species extinct in the wild but saved, at least temporarily, in gardens sanctuaries.

“No, no! The adventures first, explanations take such a dreadful time!” – Lewis Carroll: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

OK. Last year we were able to finally collect a few seeds of Polygala paucifolia –Gaywings or Fringed polygala This is a low growing plant found in dry to moist woods, in part shade. It flowers in May-June and the pink-purple flowers are quite unusual – they have 3 short and 2 long wing-like sepals and 3 joined petals with a frilly crest at the tip. Fruit is a capsule. The seeds present an appendage – elaiosome, which is associated with ant dispersal – now you see where I’m going? A bit too late and the seeds are gone. The appendage contains lipids, proteins and starch, which serve as a reward for the ants. They drag the seeds to their nests to feed their youngs on elaiosomes and thus provide the service of dispersal. I bet they are very yummy!

The germination ecology for species from Polygalaceae has not been investigated in detail. I found a study claiming that for P. paucifolia, 4 months of dry storage results in an increase in germination. Other Polygala species are known to require pre-treatments for germination. Anyway, I don’t have that many seeds, so for this year I’ll try two variants: dry storage and moist-cold stratification until sowing in the spring.

We shall see…the seed adventure continues!

Note: Many spring flowers from the temperate climate rely on ants to disperse their seed (myrmecochory – I wouldn’t try pronouncing this); from the very well known: Trillium, Hepatica, Corydalis, Dicentra…

February 20, 2014