January seeds and after-ripening
These are the latest seeds added to the inventory; please check the updated Seed List 2020-2021, always in the works...
Back in stock:
Amphicarpaea bracteata
Amphicarpaea bracteata var. comosa
Cercis canadensis
Lilium columbianum
New/not often offered:
Actaea spicata
Anemone drummondi var. lithophila
*Anemone occidentalis (syn. Pulsatilla occidentalis)
Calochortus macrocarpus
Cirsium hookerianum
**Clintonia udensis
*Note on Anemone occidentalis
Seeds were previously offered in 2018 ( wild coll. from Lizard Ranges, BC). Although fresh, the seeds I sowed didn’t germinate in the spring of 2019. It may be that they were sown too fast; yes, sowing very fresh seeds it is actually not good sometimes!.
If someone who purchased seeds obtained germination, please let me know. I am interested in what conditions they did so (date of sowing/temp.).
I have started a small experiment a few days ago with 2020 and 2018 seeds. Until I have some data I will bring attention to the after-ripening (AR). It is possible to be the cause of non-germinating seeds of A. occidentalis.
AR importance is rarely discussed with concern to ornamental species but quite few studies have been done and are still conducted for crop plants. We can learn a lot from them.
What after-ripening means?
“Once produced, dry seeds undergo an aging time period, called dry after-ripening, during which they lose primary dormancy and gradually acquire the capacity to germinate when exposed to favorable germination conditions”.
I am trying to ‘decipher’ a few articles at the moment. You can read with me and we’ll discussed them later.
“Primary seed dormancy: a temporally multilayered riddle waiting to be unlocked” (cool title, eh?)
https://academic.oup.com/jxb/article/68/4/857/2627445
“Seed after-ripening is a discrete developmental pathway associated with specific gene networks in Arabidopsis“
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2254144/
**Note on Clintonia udensis
As announced, shipping of the moist packed seeds has been temporarily suspended. Low temperatures coupled with the postal delays at this time, make for a very bad combination.
The shipping will resume when the weather becomes more favorable. It will be a rare occasion to procure moist packed seeds of this beautiful white flowered Clintonia. Stay tuned.
