Friday’s Seeds – more Caryophyllaceae

,

A few images recently added to the Caryophyllaceae page on the Seeds Library – all species collected this summer in the Carpathian Mts. and Dobrogea region, Romania.
In general, species from Caryophyllaceae family are easy to grow from seeds and some (for example,  think Dianthus, Silene) may even flower in the first year.

Pictures with various Caryophyllaceae showing the habitats they grow in, will follow this weekend. Stay tuned, I’ve prepared many pictures – the time for winter getaways has come!

 

Cerastium alpinum ssp. lanatum- alpine mouse-ear

Gypsophila petraea

 

Silene compacta

 

 

Easy species to grow from seeds – Edraianthus graminifolius

,

I’ve started to put together a list with species easy to grow from seeds as a way to provide info and encouragement to those who are at the beginning of their seeds adventures. The list will see additions as we go.

First, a short plant portrait fro Edraianthus graminifolius.

Edraianthus graminifolius, Grassy bells, belongs to the Campanula family and like its name suggests, has linear, grassy-looking leaves and large,

Edraianthus graminifolius

blue flowers, in terminal clusters in May-June. The foliage remains tight and low at about 15 cm but the flowering stems are spreading/trailing so it needs its space ;) A delightful, easy going plant, as long as grown in full sun/well drained locations. You don’t really need a rock garden for it; just keep in mind its growth habit and place it in a suitable spot.

Growing for the first time from seeds, or just want to try something easy? Try something from the list below.
‘Easy to grow from seeds’ means:
– easy to germinate & in large percentage
– seedlings that aren’t fussy to grow
– also, easy going plants in the garden, as long as provided with the required conditions.

I will avoid the so called two-stage germinators (although all you have to do is wait, for ex. Helleborus) or others that I never germinate/grown myself, also species with naturally low germination rates, those where the seedlings need special care and plants I’m not quite sure about. For sure there could be more species added to this list.

Easy species to grow from seeds
(they will germinate at room temperature or after being sown outdoors in the spring; aka. warm germinators)

Acinos alpinus
Allium thunbergii and few other Allium
Aquilegia canadensis and most other Aquilegia
Amphicarpaea

Arenaria (most species)
Arabis species
Anthemis carpatica and other Anthemis species (first, check very well the seeds!)
Arisaema triphyllum
Arisaema flavum and other Arisaema
Astragalus (with HWT)
Asphodeline lutea
Asphodeline taurica
Aurinia saxatilis
Alyssum
Baptisia australis (using the HWT)
Berkheya purpurea
Bukiniczia cabulica

Campanula, many species
Capnoides sempervirens
Caragana (HWT)
Carlina acaulis
Calycanthus floridus (after nicking the seeds)
Centaurea triumfettii, Centaurea orientalis, and other Centaurea species
Cerastium alpinum ssp. lanatum
Cercis canadensis
Cirsium spp. (some species, C. canuum)

Draba species
Delphinium grandiflorum and other species
Dianthus ssp.

Echinops crispus and other Echinops
Edraianthus graminifolius and other Edraianthus (not all species though)
Erinus alpinus
Erythranthe guttata

Gentiana cruciata, G. dahurica
other Gentiana spp. from Cruciata section
Gypsophila species

Hedysarum (using the HWT)
Hieracium lanatum

Ipomopsis rubra
Iris dichotoma
Iris domestica
Kalmia
Kernera saxatilis
Lathyrus vernus (light scarification)
Lilium formosanum var.pricei
Linaria spp.
Lychnis ssp.

Erythranthe guttata
Minuartia, some species
Mitella diphylla
Monarda
Mimulus lewisii
Oxytropis with HWT (or scarification)
Papaver species
Paronychia cephalotes
Phyteuma scheuchzeri and other Phyteuma
Platycodon

Primula japonica and other Primula spp. (some exceptions)
Pulsatilla vulgaris, other species, hybrids,
Physochlaina orientalis
Rhodiola
Most Rhododendron species
Roscoea species

Sedum ssp., Sempervivums
most Silene species
Scabiosa caucasica, other Scabiosa spp.
Scutellaria pontica and other ssp.
Stylophorum diphyllum (fresh or moist kept seeds)

Thermopsis (using HWT)
Thalictrum cf. foetidum
Thalictrum rochebruneanum and few other Thalictrum
Thymus species
Viola – some species

HWT – it means applying the hot water treatment before sowing; it can be replaced by light scarification.

Friday’s seeds – Echinops crispus

,

Besides the seeds, a sunny image with Echinops crispus (curly Echinops) on this bitterly cold day; the red flowers of Anthyllis might warm us up.

Echinops crispus and Anthyllis vulneraria var. coccinea in the background, early June 2017

I secretly watched this globe thistle evolve from a small seedling into a beautiful clump this year; too bad I was away just when at its most glorious time. The underside of leaves and the stems are covered with a thick pubescence (shown in the featured image), a perfect adaptation for the drought; grown from seeds collected in the southern Ural Mts. (Chelyabinsk region).

Echinops crispus, July 2017

 Like in many other species from Fam. Asteraceae, some of the fruits (achenes) are empty, thus careful selecting of the seeds is necessary.

Echinops crispus fruits and seeds

Echinops name from the Greek words ‘ekhinos’ = hedgehog, sea urchin and
‘ops’ = face, head (referring to the appearance of the inflorescences)

Thursday Seedex with Asteraceae

I’m late with preparing the seedex donations; just sent a small one to the SCRG and since the local mail doesn’t take long, I’ll pack a few more for ORG & HP Society this weekend.

It’s not easy to decide what to give; I always start to think what would be more attractive from what I have surplus, then some need more cleaning than others, and so on…Speaking of cleaning, nothing is more disappointing than receiving the wonderful little packets only to find inside ‘not so good seeds’, or just parts of them (it happened a few times).

Special attention is needed to all species in Fam. Asteraceae because by as a rule some of the seeds are always empty and it is not always easy to see which ones with the naked eye; a strong hand lens is necessary.

For example, let’s look at Anthemis carpatica ssp. pyrethriformis I just prepared for ORGS & HP. This subspecies, endemic to Eastern Carpathian Mts., while bearing the same large flowers is smaller in size than the regular A. carpatica.
It is super easy to grow from seeds (warm germinator) and is a good plant for any rockery (attention when planting the grown seedlings in the garden – they need very good drainage). The seedlings shown are from a previous seed collection I did few years ago.

Anthemis carpatica ssp. pyrethriformis1

Anthemis carpatica ssp. pyrethriformis seeds

and the non viable ‘seeds’

Anthemis carpatica ssp. pyrethriformis – non-viable seeds; when shown already separated, it seems easy to distinguish them but actually I had to use a x 40 hand lens to do it!

Another Asteraceae donated to both SRGC and ORG & HP – Jurinea mollis seeds are shown in the featured image.

Two years in a row, instead of seeds I found in the seedex packets just the pappus of a dwarf Jurinea species (from AGS Seedex).
This is how Jurinea seeds look like, with variations depending on the species and the moment when the seeds were collected (the pappus can be reduced in size or it may have fallen out).

Jurinea mollis seeds

Friday Seeds & germination requirements for Viburnum species

,

This fall I collected for the first time fruits of Viburnum acerifolium (maple-leaf Viburnum) and Viburnum rafinesquianum (downy arrow-wood Viburnum).

Surely, I was curious to see how the ‘seeds’ (endocarp + seed) are looking but how about their germination?
There are contradictory statements on the web; some say they first need a cold stratification, others say warm. It’s good to clarify this because I like to provide reliable info.

So, back to the books ;)

Viburnum acerifolium pits (endocarp+ seed)

Viburnum rafinesquianum pits

I like Baskin & Baskin: Seeds – Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination (2014) because besides giving results from their own experiments, there are citations of hundreds of other articles on germination (of course, in some cases things are not always clear).

And, the warm stratification is the winner!
These Viburnum spp. have deep simple epicotyl morphophysiological dormancy and the germination requirements are: warm/moist stratification period (during which roots emerge), followed by a cold/moist period (after which the shoots grow).
In translation, if sown in late summer they will show up the next spring; otherwise they will germinate complete in the second spring after sowing.

On the same list are many other Viburnum species like: alnifolium, betulifolium, cassinoides, dentatum, dilatatum, lentago, opulus, parvifolium, prunifolium….Those who don’t have access to the book can read here a very short but conclusive summary regarding Viburnum acerifolium germination:
http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1674/0003-0031%282005%29153%5B0232%3AEDIVAC%5D2.0.CO%3B2

Also another summary here:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267996605_Overview_of_seed_dormancy_in_Viburnum_Caprifoliaceae

Viburnum acerifolium

Viburnum rafinesquianum fall

Here they go!

,

Trillium grandiflorum seeds are just beginning to germinate! As well is Paris quadrifolia; I noticed the first signs last Saturday (with my x40 lens).

I snapped a few pictures when I was packing some today; they are advanced enough to be noticeable even if the pictures are not great.

Trillium grandiflorum seeds starting to germinate

 

Paris quadrifolia seeds barely showing the radicle

No matter what someone else says or writes, this is happening every year.

For these species, moist stored seeds kept at warm (room temperature) will always start to germinate around this time (roots only).
From all T. grandiflorum seeds, 70-80% will germinate now (roots) and then show the first leaves in the spring after a period of cold stratification. The rest will need one more warm/cold cycle to go through the same cycle.

Paris quadrifolia seeds were also tested two years ago and at that time they all germinated by November (this year I only got few and were promised to someone).

On short, hurry up if you think about Trillium grandiflorum; right now I can select and send seeds that are just about to germinate (they are enlarged and lighter in colour – see the feature image).

 

 

Fridays Seeds – or is a fruit? part II Morina

,

It’s Friday again so I continue the discussion (or better said monologue) about fruits versus seeds with Morina longifolia, commonly called Himalayan whorlflower.
If someone missed the Triosteum, see here.

What we call ‘seeds’ for Morina longifolia are also fruits (achenes). Morina is considered a warm germinator with the note that sometimes the hard teguments remain attached to the seedlings and are difficult to remove.

After being soaked in water for a few days, Morina achenes became soft and were easy to cut open. Actually, the tegument is quite thin compared to that of Triosteum, which is why I botched both seeds when trying to remove them (I couldn’t afford more fruits to test on).

But, we can have a look at the fully developed embryo I managed to extract from the second seed; notice the very large cotyledons.

Conclusion: soaking the seeds in water a few days (5-6), followed by sowing at room temperature should suffice for Morina. Before, I recommended keeping the seeds in a moist towel in the fridge for a couple of weeks, which is OK as well, but not really  necessary.
 

 

To autumn – the lusty song of fruits and flowers

, ,

Images from out in the woods, from the garden and even along the margins of the roads, all reflecting the harmony of colours, shapes and textures that autumn brings, were flashing through my mind when cleaning fruits today.  Such an easy way to go into a lyrical mood…(I’ll keep it short ;)

“O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stained
With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit
Beneath my shady roof…
………………………………………
Sing now the lusty song of fruits and flowers”.

                                           W. Blake – To Autumn

Euonymus obovatus and Arisaema

Arisaema flavum

Solidago canadensis -Rhus

Scabiosa caucasica

Colchicum

Cornus sericea

Cimicifuga racemosa

Polygonatum pubescens

Rosa

 

Friday’s seeds – or is it a fruit? Triosteum

, ,

Sometimes we refer to ‘seeds’ without actually realizing that we are talking about the fruits.
This is the case of dry fruits like achenes, caryopses, samaras…, which tightly enclose the seed(s) and it would be practically impossible/or at least highly impractical to try to ‘extract’ the seeds.

So, why do we care if we sow seeds or fruits?
Knowing that we actually handle fruits, helps understanding why certain treatments are needed for the storage/germination process. Also, because in these cases we cannot see the actual seeds, we only make the assumption they are inside the fruit and will germinate in due time. Which perhaps they will, but sometimes there is no one there to do it!
To understand what I mean, you can have a look back at two notorious examples:
False assurance – Linnaea borealis
The Beauty and the Parthenocarpy – Acer triflorum

In the Caprifoliaceae family there are also species with dry fruits which we treat as seeds, like Morina and Triosteum. In both cases, they have hard teguments which play a role in retarding/obstructing the germination.

I wanted for a long time to have a closer look at Triosteum aurantiacum. I found no reliable info regarding its germination but someone who bought ‘seeds’ few years ago got back to me saying that by filing the fruits tegument, followed by GA3 and/or cold-moist stratification obtained good results.

So, I placed the fruits in warm water for a few days in an attempt to soften their teguments before I proceed to dissections. In Triosteum – and I refer here to Triosteum aurantiacum – the fruits resemble coffee beans, and only by looking at them one can imagine it will take a lot of time for them to disintegrate naturally in the soil.

Even after keeping them in water for few days I had to use a cutter to slice through them. The wall of the fruit is extremely thick and the seed is fused to it.
Here’s a plate showing the whole story in pictures:

I managed to extract one seed intact – inside, the embryo is invisible with the naked eye because of underdevelopment, pointing to the requirement of at least one period of cold/moist stratification.

This is a Triosteum aurantiacum SEED

Conclusion: these are the options to hurry up the germination for Triosteum – first, by filing the hard tegument with a metal file almost until reaching the seed, followed by cold/moist stratification 3 months.

Second, by nicking the end of the fruit (I used this myself for T. pinnatifidum), followed by cold/moist stratification for a few months. In this case, take care not to harm the seed when nicking the end and best to keep the fruits in water for a few days to somehow soften them.

A suplimentary GA3 treatment coupled with the cold/moist stratification may have some effect or not; I will try it this winter and we’ll know for sure.

About Morina next time…

 

 

 

Moist packing – what’s that?

, ,

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.

These seeds are to be sown right away after receiving them. Right after collecting, for a short time (June) for shipping these seeds are packed in glassine envelopes and then in a plastic bag. Later, the portion of seeds is placed in smaller bags with a bit of the moist vermiculite or a small piece of moist towel.

Asarum canadense moist packed seeds for shipping

The small plastic 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 the recommended sowing, you need to transfer them in larger bags with added moist vermiculite (slightly moist peat works as well).

These seeds 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. Cover with a thin layer of sowing mix, water and you’re done!

In case of hydrophilic seeds, if they are 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.

Thank you! – Merci! to all our customers

 

Overheating – Roscoea tibetica f. atropurpurea

,

In this part of the world, the heat & humidity combined together can be quite unbearable. Today, we reached around 38C, with the humidex!
Even the little Roscoea tibetica f. atropurpurea couldn’t take it anymore and the first capsule bursted out in desperation. Two more to follow…

Roscoea tibetica f. atropurpurea with split capsule

I talked about this Roscoea a few times; a cute little thing and a curiosity. It shows up very late (June), produces only few flowers and it is so small that it needs a special place to be seen. Plus, the capsules split in a most unattractive way. Still, I found it charming :) Don’t you?

Roscoea tibetica f. atropurpurea – measured last year

Friday’s seed – Iris ruthenica

, ,

Back to the Friday’s seed with an ad-hoc seeds photo session up in the mountains.
I. ruthenica has a relatively wide distribution from Eastern Europe to Asia, growing usually at subalpine and alpine elevations.
I particularly like it for the fragrant, deep blue/violet, flowers and the narrow leaves which form tufts of grassy ledges on the mountain slopes.

Iris ruthenica falls in the category of arillate irises and since the arils are drying fast, I wanted to capture them as fresh as possible, so not a very good image but it serve its purpose

Spending time on the mountain slope gazing at the blue sky and the rock walls would have been satisfying enough; weaving my hands through the grassy tufts to find the iris capsules made the moment unforgettable. The flowers pictures was taken during another trip, in a different location.