During a recent hike, I was in the right place at the right time, shortly after a recent storm broke down a few Sassafras fruit-bearing branches.

According to my records, this happens only every 10 years, when a stellar alignment leads to various energy points converging.
It also has to be a year when Sassafras has set fruits (sometimes late frosts can destroy the flowers) and, needless to say, a beautiful day that inspired hiking.

Taking all into consideration, plus the fact that I don’t intend to take up tree climbing, please get familiar with this nice and peculiar tree and consider growing it from fresh seeds, if your garden space allows. The next stellar alignment might come only in 2034!

Sassafras albidum portrait

Sassafras albidum – Sassafras (Fam.Lauraceae) is a medium size tree, 15-20 m tall that can be encountered wild in Southern Ontario woods (where its Northern limit is found) being more widespread across the border in a few US states. All parts of the plant are spicy and aromatic.

It has an interesting candelabra-like branching (aka. sympodial) and really cool leaves that come in three shapes! In the fall, they turn yellow, red and purple depending on the sun exposure and fall temperatures (mid-September – October). They host the caterpillars of the Spicebush swallowtail and Promethea silk moth. Young seedlings will first display only simple leaves.

The small, yellow flowers appear in early spring, on separate male and female trees, and by fall the ornamental black drupes are displayed on red long pedicels with the same candelabra-like ramification. The fruits are very attractive and consumed by various birds in the fall.

It is not easy to always observe the black fruits up on grown up trees, even when it happens. They are rapidly consumed by birds that will spread the seeds, so in stands with mature trees there are always youngsters with cute leaves growing beneath their parents.

Mature Sassafras trees prefer full sun locations and sandy-loamy soils; when young they will tolerate shade. It is a medium to fast growing tree which also can sprout and form colonies.

Those who have space and a good garden location can grow it solitary or as part of a native woodland garden with other companion species: Lindera benzoin, Lonicera canadensis, Hepatica americana, Amphicarpeae bracteata, Maianthemum, Mitchella, Gaultheria procumbens, Trillium, Prosartes lanuginosa, Polystichum, Adiantum….

Sassafras albidum has a long and interesting history related to North American Native Peoples and later worldwide.

Before the discovery of the North American continent, the Sassafras was extensively used (leaves, roots and bark) by Native Peoples for various purposes: antihelmintic, antidiarrheal, antirheumatic, as a cold remedy, venereal, tonic…

The European settlers after seeing its traditional medicinal usage, like in many other cases, thought they found the ‘cure-all’ plant and started to import large quantities of sassafras oil (obtained by distillation from the root bark), into Europe.

For a while, the sassafras oil was a very precious commodity, being employed in foods, medicinal products, cosmetics (root beer, sassafras tea, filé powder, as flavoring in candies, beer…).
After safrole, the essential component of sassafras oil, was recognized as a potential carcinogen around 1960’s, its use was banned in the US and later in Canada.

Only young leaves which are said to contain little safrole, can be used to make the powder filé (part of the renowned Creole dish gumbo). Also, I read that some small brewers still use the extract to flavor traditional beers.

Those with more time can have a look at this wiki stub, or/and do their own research to read more about the Sassafras: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassafras_albidum

**Do not purchase Sassafras oil from non-verifiable sources, because most likely what you will get would be just some ‘fragrant oil’ obtained from other trees (via Asia and Brazil).
Also, be aware that safrole is on the List I precursor chemical of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (for good reason).

Sassafras albidum seedlings

I rarely see it cultivated, although it is a fully hardy tree in Southern Ontario.  It can be propagated either from seeds or by root cuttings – according with some sources.
Sassafras seeds are losing their viability when kept dry, like its spicy cousin Lindera benzoin. Beware buying seeds that have been stored dry for longer periods for both these species!

For best germination the seeds need to be sown fresh in early fall, or if kept moist, throughout the fall, so they would first undergo a slightly warm stratification period followed by a cold one (winter).  Treated like this (the natural way) they should germinate in late spring next year. The seedlings seen in the wild, testify for this method.

 

Lindera benzoin seeds will also be available for purchase again this year.
Start your ‘wish’ list, which should always contain first the species from the “moist packed” category – written green in the SEED LIST.

I am planning another short outing, fingers crossed for more new seeds!
Thank you for your interest and patience!

A lucky find one year – Spicebush swallowtail caterpillar on sassafras leaves

 

 

The feeling that the late summer is slowly sliding towards fall is more and more pronounced and with it the thought of seeds.

So, while the inventory work is getting under way in parallel with seeds collecting, we are getting back to weekly updates on seeds, plants and other worthy garden subjects to talk about.

When will the Shop open for orders?

Gentiana andrewsii

This fall the Seeds Shop will reopen somewhere in the first or second week of September (it will be announced). Orders are not accepted until further notice.

This way, we’ll have the chance to hopefully collect a few more species. It will also address the complains of having to order a few times in order to get seeds that are placed gradually in the inventory.

There will always be late collections: from species that are starting to flower now, like Gentiana andrewsii, or for those that mature their fruits in September/October (or even November: Asclepias exaltata), and who knows what ‘gifts’ will be arriving from friends.
Meanwhile, seeds collected in previous years will be available.

What to expect in the Seed List?

Various seeds offered as moist packed are kept in moist vermiculite and will be available to ship as soon as orders are accepted. These species are written in green in the Seeds List and recommended to be purchased first.
Fruits of Podophyllum peltatum, Mayapple and Clintonia borealis were collected last week and Caulophyllum thalictroides (blue cohosh) is lining up. Hydrastis canadensis seeds are already moist packed.

After a rainy start of the season, the drought made an appearance and some species have been detrimentally affected. Some spring flowering species, like Primulas, have stood up to the occasion and there are more garden cultivated species and forms to choose from this fall.

Phyteuma confusum in wild habitat

Many North American native species will be available like every year, from A – with Arisaema triphyllum and Actaea species to V – with various Viola species.
First time offerings: Kalmia angustifolia and K. polifolia and we hope to have back in the inventory few species that were missed last year like Viburnum acerifolium and Lindera benzoin.

Non-native species speaking, by browsing the Seed List with attention, one will also find a few choice, garden and wild collected species like: Gypsophila cerastioides,
Clematis alpina ssp. sibirica, Gentiana gelida, Phyteuma confusum, Silene lerchenfeldiana, Soldanella hungarica and S. pusilla…

*Of course that the Seeds List is currently ‘in the works’ and may change until the Shop re-opens.

 

The late summer-fall gentians have flowered a bit earlier this year and by watching them there is always the desire to have more! With patience, by late fall we will know if the capsules contain good seeds.

Gentiana paradoxa

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.

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 :-)

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!

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.

 

 

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.

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.


 

 

 

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 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.

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

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….

…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!

 

 

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!

…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.

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 ;)

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).

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.

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!