Let me explain about evergreen Epimediums

While waiting for Jeffersonia diphylla capsules to open and the heat dome to go away, I will write a bit about the evergreen Epimedium species. Seeds will be offered soon and I know that not everyone is familiar with them/growing from seeds.
Years ago I had quite a few articles about some Chinese Epimediums on the website which I subsequently deleted because of the amount of spam generated by the tags attached. Because you see, the evergreen Epimedium species, which are of Chinese origin, are commonly called fairy-wings or barenworts (like the European and Japanese Epimediums), and also horny-goats weeds, supposedly because one of theirs medicinal properties ;) Enough said…

From all Epimediums I particularly like this group of species because of their evergreen, leathery handsome foliage and spidery-looking flowers. Musing on species that maintain a nice presence over the winter, I once described the evergreen Epimediums the next best thing to the Helleborus: Winter joys II.

Then, ‘the best is yet to come’ with the new spring foliage being incredibly ornamental in various shades of purple, salmon, or mottled, before turning green later. The spidery flowers might be a personal like, but I noticed that other people enjoy them too.

Epimedium ‘Amber Queen’

Epimedium lishihchenii

Epimedium acuminatum

I acquired a few of the available species, and after a few years when I noticed capsules on Epimedium ‘Amber Queen’, I said: how about trying to grow more from seeds? I had no idea about their requirements for germination and there was little to no info about the subject. This fantastic cultivar is in fact a hybrid resulted from a cross: E. wushanense ’Caramel’ x Epimedium flavum.

The most prolific seeds producer was/is always Epimedium ‘Amber Queen’ which I suspect it cross-pollinated, at the beginning, with Epimedium lishihchenii planted nearby.
Now there are more hybrids around the garden, and it may be a swarm of cross-hybridization going around. There is no ‘ flight control tower’ for the bumblebees :-) Which takes me to the third reason I love them: the flowers with long spurs are in high demand in the spring (around May here) for the long tongue pollinators.
Other evergreen species growing in the garden are Epimedium acuminatum, Epimedium stellulatum and Epimedium brachyrrhizum, so there are more cross-pollinations possibilities.

To state the obvious: all plants grown from seeds will be the result of cross-pollination.

Growing from seeds it is also the method of obtaining new commercially cultivars after careful selection. In the garden, one can keep whatever finds suitable and discard away the unwanted (flowers-wise). Most will produce a few flowers in 3-4 years so it’s a quick process.

I also found myself in the position to giving names to a few of the most deserving specimens, all chance seedlings; labels are needed when sharing divisions with friends :-)

Epimedium ‘New Horizons’

Epimedium ‘Freckles’

Epimedium ‘Raspberry Fudge’

Garden cultivation: plant them in part-shaded locations (especially shade for the afternoon in a hot climate). After many years, I consider the most commonly cultivated species to be quite drought resistant (occasional watering during drought), just that they will flower better having more moisture.
The evergreen foliage can became unsightly by early spring (depending on climate and in snowless winters); remove it  only in late spring because it protects the flowering stems, which show up at ground level early and can be damaged by late frosts.
Most species grow from a tight rhizome, so if you want to divide them, dig out the whole clump and carefully take out a rhizome ‘slice’ in late spring/summer and grow it in a pot until fall to build up the roots. The spreading types are more easily divided, but even so they require a season or two to get back in shape.

Very fresh (green) and a few days ‘old’ Epimedium seeds

Propagation by seeds: the seeds seem to be hydrophilic and require a warm stratification followed by a cold stratification in order to germinate; sow them fresh in the summer and then allow a cold (winter) period.

As shown in the image, they are still green when the capsule splits open and are equipped with large elaiosomes, which will dry out in a few days, while the seed coats will mature and become brownish. For sowing we should follow the same procedures as with Hepatica seeds.

It seems that the seeds only need +/- 2 month of cold stratification, so if you keep the pots in a cold garage, for example, they may start to germinate in February (even earlier depending on the climate). To avoid this, keep the pots outdoors for the winter for spring germination. Self-sown seedlings appear in the spring every year now.

If you use indoor lighting, you can get a head start for the season; the seedlings grow fast and are very easy-going under lights.

Epimedium seedlings with cotyledon and first true leaves

Again, as a thank you to all customers (ask in the note) seeds will be offered complementary with all orders coming in with the next wave of fresh seeds (while quantities last).

Likewise, those who only want Epimedium seeds  will be able to purchase them.
I hope to convert at least few people of growing them from seeds. Nice surprises await those willing to try!

Bursting at the seams

Mid-June is by tradition a period when various spring flowering species are maturing their fruits – many are literally bursting at the seams :-) and are a bit difficult to catch, even for experienced collectors. Cues of maturation are slight changes in color and/or in texture, but even so, fruits on the same plant will mature at different times, therefore using organza bags when possible is still a better way to go.

Stylophorum diphyllum fruits releasing the seeds

Cardamine enneaphyllos splitted fruits

Asarum canadense fruits and seeds

Viola adunca var. bellidifolia opening capsules

With plants being smart, the fruits are in most cases down-turned towards the ground (like in Stylophorum diphyllum, the woodland poppy), which makes the matter of capture even more difficult. The wild ginger fruits (Asarum canadense) are laying at the ground level and innocently keep the same color/shape until the ‘last minute’ of maturation – an open buffet for all ground crawling creatures.

Viola species capsules, we talked about them, are explosives and it is not possible to include all the stems in bags.

So, daily garden walks have a double goal, to admire the newly flowered and to also collect seeds from the ‘seeds defectors’.

Papaver chakassicum, Polygala

Campanula bellidifolia

Dianthus deltoides (2)

Dianthus spiculifolius

Dictamnus albus

Gladiolus tenuis

Just one example of an Epimedium ex. ‘Amber Queen’ hybrid; colored young foliage and yellow spidery flowers in various shades

To make a long story short, there will be new fresh seeds listed in the Spring-Summer 2024 section of the SEED LIST very soon.

At this point, only Jeffersonia diphylla and one Helleborus are on the ‘wait list’, but not for long I think.

PS. In the featured image: capsules with seeds of Epimedium lishihchenii.

Free Epimedium seeds will be offered for all orders (while quantities last)!

This spring was good with them and there are plenty of capsules on Epimedium ‘Amber Queen’ and its hybrids, so it would be a shame to let them go to waste.

Stay tuned…

June seeds and Dicentra

The Corydalis and Hepatica seeds offering will be closed sooner that June 15th, after this weekend. So, do not wait longer if you want to grab some of the remaining seeds.

I was concentrating towards preparing the orders with Hepatica seeds as fast as possible when garden walks revealed that many early flowering species (March/April) are ripening their seeds sooner than usual! The biggest mischiefs from ‘catch me if you can’ category were bagged, and in fact, as of today Helleborus niger and Helleborus purpurascens seeds are already collected.

Frequent garden walks are recommended now because many species are maturing their fruits gradually (Physoclaina, Geum triflorum, Lathyrus vernus, Draba, Viola species….for example). I also noticed the first Epimedium capsules bursting…

Jeffersonia diphylla capsule

Helleborus purpurascens seeds

Lathyrus vernus gradually maturing fruits

Geum triflorum

Collecting seeds in the wild will be a hit and miss this year, that’s for sure.

Dicentra formosa flowers showing immature capsules.

In the feature image we have Dicentra formosa, the Pacific bleeding heart, for which I’ll make a short plant portrait.
It was grown from a few seeds collected many years ago during a trip to Victoria, BC. It grows well in a part-shaded location and I like it for its long flowering period and for providing food for the bumblebees in the spring. Interestingly, I’ve never noticed fruits until this year; as shown in the image they would be hard to miss!

The Pacific bleeding heart is a lovely plant with ferny-like foliage growing from fleshy rhizomes that broke easily (so careful with transplanting). The pink heart shaped dangling flowers appear in early spring and last for a very, very! long time. It will spread to form carpets, with size depending on how much moisture it has; easy to remove as the rhizomes are very shallow (almost sit atop the ground). It usually becomes dormant in late summer.

I would say it is an essential species for the long tongue pollinators in the spring. In my garden it flowers at the same time with Lathyrus vernus and they are both very good ‘providers’. The bumblebees population has increased because of them, and because of the countless early Corydalis and Dicentra cucullaria, of course :-)

Regarding Dicentra seeds germination, I would like to emphasize that the same applies as for Corydalis species. The seeds need to be sowed fresh, with warm/cold stratification cycles. From dry, old seeds you will not get much germination. This subject is not often discussed because actually not many Dicentra species are grown from seeds.

Like in previous years, the next offering of fresh seeds will be done on late June-early July for various native and non-native species, before the Shop will close for the rest of summer: Sanguinaria, Asarum canadense, Stylophorum diphyllum, Saruma, Epimedium, Jeffersonia, Dicentra formosa (if enough seeds), Pseudofumaria lutea, Capnoides sempervirens, Helleborus (Helleborus seeds can also be sown in early fall)…

All done

The newly added Hepatica seeds are available. Links are provided for easy access on the top section of the SEED List.

There are still Corydalis seeds available, Claytonia virginica and notice the latest collection – Pachyphragma macrophyllum

Those wishing to obtain nice Pulsatilla seedlings right away this summer: have a look at Pulsatilla styriaca and Pulsatilla ex. styriaca pink.

ALL Hepatica, Corydalis and Claytonia seeds will be available only until June 15th.

Many thanks again to all who are trying to grow from seeds our native Hepatica species and all other ‘best if sown right away’ species.  My effort to provide these fresh seeds is equalled only by your effort to sow and take care of the seedlings.

 

 

Getting close

We are getting very close to the having all other Hepatica seeds available.

What’s coming? Many forms of Hepatica americana in all colors, including a first time offering of Hepatica americana Preciosa strain , a new light violet form and the very cute Hepatica americana ‘Apple Blossoms’. The desirable Hepatica nobilis multipetal blue and also a first, I am happy to offer the first seeds from Hepatica transsilvanica.

Those who have (almost everything) in terms of Hepatica, can choose to grow Hepatica nobilis – leaf forms mix. What can be better for a Hepatica after a gorgeous flowering than continuing with an equally gorgeous foliage? I wish to have space to sow all these for myself.

Hepatica transsilvanica

Hepatica nobilis leaf form I

Hepatica nobilis leaf form II

Hepatica americana Preciosa strain

Hepatica americana ‘Apple Blossoms’

Hepatica americana light violet, 2024

The first Pulsatilla ex. styriaca seeds are also ready; following the advice from the germination section by sowing fresh seeds you can obtain young seedlings in a month or so. Stay tuned….hope to have everything ready by tomorrow evening.

Meanwhile, those interested can see/read what will be available on the SEED List.


 

 

 

A first

It is the first time when I collected a nice amount of seeds from Corydalis nobilis, the ‘lord’ of the Corydalis species, also called Siberian corydalis. This species is self-incompatible, i.e. needs a partner or two, in order to produce good seeds. So, I counted on friends for seeds a few years – many thanks, while I grew and planted a couple more (actually there are 4 specimens now).

The first time when I mused about this species was in 2012 (thanks to WordPress organizing folders): The lord of the Corydalis.

Then, in 2016 I wasn’t worried about it becoming a ‘weed’ in my new garden. One can tell I am very fond of this Corydalis :)
“I read somewhere (most probably in an AGS Journal) about an old, neglected garden where C. nobilis had taken hold of and was growing everywhere like a weed. It can maybe happen in time; say 30 years from now on. Sounds like a good plan…”: In charge – Corydalis nobilis.

The lord of Corydalis species didn’t click as expected with the regular gardeners. The collectors know best. True that only a picture with the yellow flowers may induce just a ‘meh’ reaction.
This Corydalis has to be experienced from the very early spring apparition to the flowering end: to wonder at the expanding fleshy, bluish foliage (extremely cold hardy), at the ‘cones- like’ future inflorescences and later smile at the bumblebees foraging with delight the spicy flowers.
Plant it in the back/side of another larger perennial (Lathyrus vernus, Paeonia, Aconitum…) if you worry about having empty spots after it goes dormant.

Corydalis nobilis early spring

Corydalis nobilis spring foliage

Corydalis nobilis, Siberian Corydalis

Corydalis nobilis rhizome of a mature specimen; moving/transplanting can be easily done after the plant goes completely dormant.

It is not a rarity because it flowers later than the bulbous Corydalis species and the specialized nurseries have the occasion to show it when they open in the spring.

So, if you can find to buy a young one do not hesitate, the display will only get better as it grows up.

If not, it is easy to grow from fresh seeds like all other Corydalis species. Keep a couple of them and gift the rest to friends. It forms a large rhizome in time, making it fairly easy to move it around the garden in search for a good place (do it in late summer/fall when it is dormant).

Hepatica speaking, the seeds collecting is under way. As I know what seeds will be available, they are gradually displayed on the SEED List – Spring seeds section.

Also a first, there will be a small offering of Hepatica transsilvanica seeds; plus other regulars like Hepatica americana ‘Apple Blossoms’ , Hepatica americana blue mix, and we’ll see what else….. I even managed to catch few Claytonia virginica seeds, so the spring ‘seeds assortment’ will be complete. The sale will be announced.

Apropos Hepatica germination

Now that the seeds sale is started, today I will show a small flat with little pots of Hepatica sowings from last year. Sometimes ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. Have a look at it; the post will be transferred to the Hepatica germination page afterwards.

What else can be said? The seedlings will remain on this stage on for the rest of the season – above ground wise. More is happening below ground with the root system growing on, accumulating reserves for next year growth. Seedlings of this size should not dry out but also beware of overwatering. Less foliage, less watering is the norm. Apply a very light fertilizer once in a while.

The seedlings from the first pot should (and will) be pricked out because the pot is very small; all other pots should wait until next spring, especially those where more seeds are expected to germinate.

The top image features a pot with a sowing from 2021. One seed germinated (spring 2022) and grew up, the remaining seeds germinated only this spring! This means germination in the third year after sowing.

I hope this will draw more appreciation for the amount of work put into obtaining a Hepatica young plant! Never consider that they are too expensive, should you decide to purchase plants. If/when gifted to you, take them with a big thank you.
And my big Thank You to those who persevere in growing these beauties from seeds!

Prepare for the start

The sale of the seeds will start in late evening today after the last seeds of Hepatica japonica are released into the little bags.

 As mentioned, this spring the flowering of various Hepatica has been all over the place; the maturation of seeds follows the same pattern. Most H. acutiloba are ready and the few japonica.
So, even if it is not an ideal situation, we will start the sale for the seeds that are ready now; the others will follow in probably 1-2 weeks-time, hard to tell. This way the first little parcels can be sent right away after the long weekend (we depend on Canada Post).

Links are provided for what’s available at the top of the SEED LIST. What’s available is written in green, all others may become available later.

Click on the names to see the products pages where details and pictures are provided, and please follow the instructions regarding the nr. of pck. allowed per order. ‘Limited’ means the offer is very low.

For the Corydalis, I highly recommend the Corydalis ‘Wildheart mix’, especially if you are not a collector. All sorts of ‘goodies’ are in the mix: seeds from various reds, pink and everything in between with a dash of C. malkensis.

Everything else is the same like in previous years:

All seeds are the result of open pollination and there is no guarantee on the % of seedlings resembling the mother plants, especially for Corydalis.

A minimum of 2 pck. in the cart is required/local orders for shipping.
Sorry no international orders for these seeds; there are suppliers of seeds/plants in EU for Corydalis and Hepatica.

For the sake of speed and workload efficiency, all seeds are shipped double packed in glassine envelopes which are then placed inside a plastic bag, instead of using moist vermiculite. It works very well and allows for faster counting/inventory accuracy/orders preparation. It also allows for easier handling & sowing, especially for customers who are not used with moist packed seeds.

Orders for these seeds can be combined with other species, but keep the adds-on short please. I recommend adding other seeds to the order only if necessary. The inventory has been updated for Lilium and Paeonia species.

Before ordering, please review if necessary:
Growing Corydalis from seeds
Checklist for growing Hepatica from seeds

Welcome May

Hepatica japonica magenta form

All possible Corydalis seeds have been collected; we will wait a few more days to start the sale because the few Hepatica japonica forms which started to flower very early in an exposed location are also almost ready to shed their seeds.

So, we’ll group them together while waiting for all the other Hepaticas. This year the seeds of Hepatica americana and Hepatica acutiloba and some of the Hepatica nobilis forms will mature a bit later; the variations in temperatures play a big role, also the sun exposure.

For example, although Hepatica transsilvanica was one of the first to start flowering this spring, the seeds are not mature yet because it grows in a very shaded location.

Meanwhile, welcome May, much to admire, do, and so little time….

Hepatica japonica seeds catching

Androsace villosa ssp. taurica

Gentiana clusii

Degenia velebitica

Viola adunca var. bellidifolia

Primula ‘Violet Victorians’

Corydalis nobilis

Epimedium ‘Freckles’

Glaucidium palmatum ‘Album’

Aristolochia steupii, iberica

Paeonia mascula ssp. mascula

Paeonia mlokosewitchii

 Adieu to April

…and to bulbous Corydalis

Due to a mild winter this year, the first picture of Corydalis malkensis starting to flower was recorded on March 20th! This is the first Corydalis to flower in our climate. Corydalis paczoskii followed shortly then along the month of April, more and more flowers appeared throughout the garden. As usual, they fared well though a few cold snaps and brief snowy periods. The latest to flower was as always Corydalis cava, which may be also due to its more shaded position.

Corydalis solida

In general, the flowering of bulbous Corydalis has been much better this spring.
I was excited to see flowering well a Corydalis solida of a nice peachy (or coral) color, with dense flowers on short stems. It may receive a name :)

Also, for a solitary clump of a very fragrant Corydalis, of kusnetzovii origin (it may also be a hybrid, although it sets seeds) with densely packed, powdery purple flowers (shown in the gallery).

A few Corydalis solida flowers are still hanging on, but it won’t be for long. As we know, when they prepare to go dormant it is time to check for the seeds and don’t forget that the capsules mature gradually and ‘explode’ to release the seeds.

The first seeds of Corydalis malkensis and Corydalis packzoskii were collected on April 25 and I’m working on Corydalis solida right now.

At BotanyCa, Corydalis solida and allies seeds are provided fresh only, so we may have to start the seeds sale before the Hepatica this year! The start of the sale will be announced as soon as all seeds are collected (there is a special section on top of the Seeds List general offerings).

There are so many posts about bulbous Corydalis, pictures included, on this website that one would wonder if we need any more. I do it as a ritual of passage from early to late spring. They are on my ‘plants I cannot live without’ list, and also on the same list for the spring mama-bumblebees. For all you need to know, click here: Growing Corydalis solida & allies from seeds

Adieu to April and to bulbous Corydalis; welcome May!
To all celebrating this weekend, a Happy Easter with hope for peace, kindness and love among all people!

Corydalis malkensis, 2024

Corydalis paczoskii, 2024

Corydalis solida, 2024

Primula sibthorpii, Corydalis malkensis

Corydalis solida ‘Beth Evans’, 2024

Corydalis solida red fragrant

Hepatica, Corydalis marschalliana

Corydalis cava

Corydalis ex. kusnetzovii fragrant, 2024

 

 

Transplanting seedlings #2

We sowed the seeds, took care of the smallest seedlings and they grew up. I am talking about the indoor started sowings. Those who are sowing outdoors will follow the same procedures later.

Now it is time to prick out (or transplant) some of them.*
*From among species that you shouldn’t prick out in the first year: Arisaema, most monocots in general – Corydalis, Erythronium, Lilium ssp., Fritillaria, Alliums, Crocus, Roscoea; plus other species that only produce cotyledon leaves in the first season like Podophyllum spp. and Glaucidium.

There already is a post on this subject on the Germination page: Pricking – transplanting seedlings.

Phyteuma scheuchzeri seedlings ready to be transplanted

But let’s talk more about it since the final goal is to obtain good plants we can plant in the garden. Most often you will find the popular advice to transplant the seedlings after the first true leaves appear. Maybe it stemmed up from annual vegetables growing.

For perennial species, it is best to treat the seedlings from case to case. Large, fast growing seedlings can be pricked out after the first true leaves grow: Centaurea, Delphinium, Salvia, Helleborus, most Campanula…
Another case when you should transplant fast is for the species that grow long roots and those that dislike transplanting (Astragalus, Oxytropis…).

 

In most cases though the seedlings remain quite small, tiny sometimes, even after the first leaves appear, like it happened with Phyteuma scheuchzeri for example. In these cases, I find it best to wait until the seedlings grow up a bit more, especially if there is space enough in the sowing pot.

Keep in mind that we do not need a lot of seedlings of the same species for our gardens. So, be mindful how many you transplant: 2-4 pots are more than enough. Concentrate on the quality.
Too many pots, and soon you’ll find impossible to take care of all of them, especially when they are outdoors.

Consider transplanting bunches of seedlings/pot (like shown in the image for Phyteuma), this way you will obtain little clumps faster.

My favorite method for most alpine plants who like to be planted at the final location when young: skip the transplanting and plant the whole sowing pot in the rockery (in case you started them very early indoors). That’s my standard for Draba species: sow, grow for a while, acclimatize outdoors and plant in the rockery.

Regardless if you prick out or not the seedlings from the sowing pot, you have to start to gradually acclimatize them outdoors in the spring. Take the trays out for fresh air when it is warming out, and bring them back in the house for the night.

Repeat a few times, while enjoying the spring flowers!

Corydalis solida

Draba dedeana

Hepatica americana, 2024

Pulsatilla ex. styriaca pink

Jeffersonia dubia

Helleborus ‘Cherry Blossoms’

Fritillaria collina, 2024

Pachyphrama macrophyllum

Primula macrocalyx, Lathyrus

Out in the woods – Hepatica americana

…for admiring the second North American native Hepatica: Hepatica americana.
Again, even if there is a whole page dedicated to the Queen of the woodlands on the website and other images with these beauties, this is a celebratory period worth noticing.

In various shades of blue, white, sometimes purple and rarely pink, these little woodland wildflowers of spring are amongst the loveliest plants to be encountered when walking into the forest.
The only problem in April is to find a nice, sunny day when the flowers open (they remain close on rainy and cold days).

The pollination is preponderantly done by wind, although sometime early insects are tricked by the beautiful flowers on sunny days and accidentally may carry pollen to other flowers nearby (the flowers do not have nectar).

I have included on purpose an image where Hepatica americana among Gaultheria procumbens, also Chimaphila umbellata nearby, to emphasize that this species require a slightly acidic substrate for growing well.

Hepatica americana 2024-1

Hepatica americana 2024-2

Hepatica americana 2024-9

Hepatica americana 2024-3

Hepatica americana 2024-5

Hepatica americana 2024-4

Hepatica americana 2024-7

Hepatica americana ‘Apple Blossoms’

Hepatica americana 2024-8

Take a few minutes to read about Hepatica in general, and think about growing a few of these spring beauties in your garden, before fresh seeds become available (somewhere in late May-June).

Please also have a look at the Checklist for growing Hepatica from seeds.

The flower color may change in intensity from buds to the open flowers, and usually is more vivid in colder springs. This is  a Hepatica color chart I’ve done one year to make sure we all speak the same ‘color language’ when talking about Hepatica americana and Hepatica acutiloba flower colors ;)

Out in the woods – spring beauties

Back to the ‘Out in the woods’ posts, with less ‘talk’ and more pictures. But make no mistake there is plenty info on this website to keep you reading about the featured plants.

Hepatica acutiloba fo. rosea

A bit earlier this year, the flowering of Hepatica acutiloba (Sharp lobed-leaf liverwort) has started in the southern regions of Ontario, along with its usual companions. Even if there are many images already on the website, it is an event that needs celebrating.

Depending on the amount of sun the plants get and the weather in the next week, more flowers will gradually open. In my garden, on shaded spots, some plants are still in bud.

For those new to the blog, you can read and see more pictures about Hepatica acutiloba, in general, and Hepatica acutiloba pastel mix in particular – from which seeds are offered almost every year.

There is also the Hepatica page, a FAQ regarding the moist packed seeds, and the Search tab where typing a couple of words will bring to ‘front’ other postings on that particular subject.

Hepatica acutiloba and friends; take advantage of any sunny and relatively warm day to enjoy them!

Sanguinaria canadensis 2024

Claytonia virginica

Caulophyllum thalictroides

Hepatica acutiloba pastel mix

Hepatica acutiloba pastel mix2

Hepatica acutiloba 2024-2

Hepatica acutiloba 2024-1

Hepatica acutiloba 2024-3

Hepatica acutiloba 2024

Reading seed coats

Last week we had the simple answer to the ‘up’ and ‘down’ of a seed – sowing wise. Again, do not worry about the position of the seeds when sowing. Due to gravitropism, the radicles will always go ‘down’ and the cotyledon leaf(ves) ‘up’.

For those willing to know more about this subject, theoretically we would be able to tell the up and down of a seed by ‘reading’ the few scars that remain on the seed coat during the seed formation (after fertilisation).

To explain more, a few botanical terms that may not be familiar to all will be used. For clarification I provide links to the excellent botany glossary developed on the Angiosperm Phylogeny Website from Missouri Botanical Garden.

I quote a paragraph from the introductory notes, because I think it should give us all a moment of meditation. Keep in mind that in nature nothing is ‘white & black’, there are endless variations to all situations.

Here we go.

On the seed coat we can identify 2 main scars: the micropyle and the hilum (in most species, but there are exceptions) that can be used to identify the ‘up’ and ‘down’ of a seed. In some cases we can also see a sort of ‘suture’ along the seed, called raphe, and various excrescences  like the caruncle, which is usually near the micropyle.

It is useful to know from what type of ovule the seed was formed.  For the vast majority of flowering plants the seeds are born from an anatropous ovule, so we will consider it as default. In this case, the micropyle is very close to the hilum.

Post-fertilization the micropyle remains as a small pore in the seed coat, which facilitates the entry of oxygen and water into the seed during germination. The radicle of the embryo will emerge through the micropyle.
So, by locating the micropyle on the seed surface, one would know which side is up and which one is down.
What’s simple in theory many times, it is not the same in practice. The micropyle doesn’t persist in all seeds, or it is impossible to see it with the naked eye. But the hilum is often a larger scar (at least on larger seeds), and we can search for it.

We can take Caulophyllum as an example, because for monitoring the embryo development I took many seeds images years ago.

*Also, keep in mind that for practical purposes sometimes we call various fruits ‘seeds’ (the achenes for examples). What we see in this case is the fruit surface not that of the seed coats.

In very rare cases the seeds are ‘born’ from an orthotropous (atropous) ovule. In this case the micropyle is on the same line, opposed to the hilum. A well-known species whose seeds are formed from such an ovule is Symplocarpus foetidus, the skunk cabbage. Same goes for Arisaema (and most of Araceae family).

The germination of skunk cabbage has intrigued me when I first observed it, because the radicle emerge almost at the same time or after with the shoots through the hilum. This has to do also with the fact that the seed embryo can have different sizes and positions in the seed: it can be straight, curved, convoluted and so on.

In the case of the skunk cabbage seeds, you would think there is no up and down at the beginning, but they figure it out soon after germination :-)

Without going into details, there are other sub-variants of the anatropous and orthotropus ovules; it is also worth noticing that in flowering plants most of the ovules are curved.

A simple example is the campylotropus ovule found in the legume family. In this case, the micropyle is almost touching the hilum (see Lespedeza germination).

 

So, in theory it looks good but imagine looking for the micropyle on a poppy seed :-) On the following plate, we can observe though that on the small seeds of Primula sieboldii, the micropyle/hilum area is visible.

A reminder about the SEEDs LIBRARY where those interested can try to locate, where possible, the micropyle/hilum area on various seeds.

1. Arisaema triphyllum (orthotropus ovule); From anatropus ovules 2. Amphicarpaea bracteata; 3. Disporum; 4. Streptopus  amplexifolius; 5. Chamaecytisus hirsutus (with caruncle); 6. Primula sieboldii.

We have a particular situation in the Liliaceae family where by looking at the seeds through a backlight, usually we can see the embryo; even more so after the seeds are imbibed with water. So, it is fairly easy to tell the ‘up’ and the ‘down’ (at pointed end).

Lilium embryo

Fritillaria pudica seeds (imbibed)

Based on other images I have in my ‘germination library’, it looks like most times the root will emerge from the ‘pointed’ side of the seeds; however, not all seeds have such a side.

Asarum canadense germinated seeds

Paeonia suffruticosa germinated seeds

Asclepias exaltata germinated seeds

Epimedium ‘Amber Queen’ OP germination (warm,cold)

Trillium grandiflorum germinating seeds Oct. 7, 2017

Paris quadrifolia germinated seeds

To conclude, sometimes we could tell the up and down of a seed by ‘reading’ the seed coat, especially for medium size and large seeds, but this is not always the case. From the point of view of sowing I don’t think it matters, even for larger seeds. In nature, no one arranges them when they fall on the ground.
A nice weekend to all. Enjoy the season of ten thousand flowers!

Ups and downs

I know that seeds germination is in the mind of all gardeners in early spring.
So, I will try to answer a question someone recently directed (as a comment): “Does anybody know the orientation of the root vs plant ends on the seeds?”

Due to spam attacks, I have been trying to block the comments, because of the huge amount of time needed to sort through the junk for the ‘good’ ones. Somehow they are sneaking through anyway. The above question seemed to be from a legitimate IP address, so let’s have a look at it.

If the question was related to sowing, here’s a simple answer. No matter how you place the seeds in the pots they will find their way, down and up! The roots will always orient in a downward direction and the shoots upwards due to gravitropism. It will not affect the germination or the health of the seedlings. Exceptions may apply only in case of very large seeds (next time about the skunk cabbage germination case); when in doubt, place them sideways.

The easiest way to exemplify this is by looking at seeds germinated out of pots from my ‘germination library’. Notice the Gentiana lutea germinating seeds in a Petri dish positioning by themselves with the roots ‘down’ and the plumule ‘up’. Also, an old image of a Sanguinaria canadensis seedling (part) found in the plastic bag ‘hanging’ to a vermiculite particle. An even better illustration comes from a ‘piece’ of Stylophorum lasiocarpum seedlings grown together in vermiculite in the stratification bag. No one arranged or told them which side is ‘up’ and which is ‘down’.

Gentiana lutea germinated seeds with GA3 solution

Sanguinaria canadensis germinated seed in moist vermiculite

Stylophorum lasiocarpum germinated seeds in Ziploc bag

A couple more images showing germinated seeds of Helleborus caucasicus and Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple) in moist towel. 
I added a few explanatory notes (click to open the gallery): regardless of the the position the seeds, the radicles are always heading ‘down’ (meaning the ‘down’ of towel). The seeds who were not in the ideal position, start curving their radicle immediately to grow it in the ‘right direction’. This is one of the reasons I do not germinate seeds in moist towel anymore: the radicles get tangled easily in the towel and are very easy to break when taken out.

Podophyllum peltatum germinated seeds 3

Helleborus caucasicus germinated seeds 2

Next time we’ll talk a bit more ‘serious’ about this subject, with a recap of the plant ovules and the post-fertilization marks that can be ‘read’ on the seedcoat surface.  Maybe that will scare the spammers away ;-)

Meanwhile, Happy Easter to all celebrating with a message of peace, joy, hope and happiness!

Happy sowings

An update for this previous post, to show some newly emerged seedlings after using the Miracle Gro mix instead of the Fafard sowing mix: Minuartia michauxii, Silene saxifraga and Silene suecica. There is no need of so many seedlings, reason why I always say – take care when sowing very fine seeds.

Minuartia michauxii seedlings

Silene saxifraga seedlings

Silene suecica seedlings

It is also the time to prick out some of the grown-up seedlings before they become too crowded. Those who need help in this regard please see the: Transplanting and pricking seedlings post from 2020.

With the cold snap upon us, these are very good days to do a bit more warm sowings ;) and/or transplant seedlings.
Mimulus lewisii seedlings (from wild coll. seeds in BC and offered in the fall Seeds List); they should have been transplanted ‘yesterday’, so it’s their turn today.

Mimulus lewisii seedlings