>> A. philippiana germinated 10 days from the time sown. Any of my >>seeds that germinated in 30 days or less germinated in the warmth >>of my kitchen or living room - Diane >> >That beats anything I saw 4 years ago when I tried germinating >without chilling, on a mist bench at high temps (20 to 23 C). I >don't have many seed of species (just a few of aurea and ligtu that >I collect annually) but I have oodles of hybrids sitting around. - >Roy >_______________________________________________ Alstroemerias fill all, or almost all, niches in Chile, so seed dormancy and germination requirements must vary depending on the species. I don't have the F & W catalogues that describe where the old seeds were collected. I'll list them so that perhaps someone who has the old seedlists can tell us where. Sown a month ago and currently about 7 cm tall and growing their third leaves: this year's collecting: 10560 A. paupercula (formerly A. violacea) Chile Antofagasta District, Northern Coastal Desert Zone barish scree and talus beds at W facing, Pacific foot of coastal range 30 - 100 m 10575 A. philippiana Chile Atacama/Coquimbo area, Coastal Semi-Mediterranean Desert Zone rough gulleys 250 m old seed: 9531 magnifica ssp maxima 9582 diluta ssp chrysantha (yellow) 9558 diluta ssp chrysantha (pink) 9575 hookeri ssp cumingiana 9578 hookeri ssp maculata 9580 magenta 9604 pulchra v pulchra Not yet germinated: 9507 and 9551 crispata 10300 pseudospathulata ----------------------------------------------------------------- Seed that germinated within the one month warm period in previous years: A. magnifica ssp maxima 16 days A. aff exserens 18 days A. psittacina 18 days A. sp ex Patagonia 21 days Until my plants flower there is not much point in comparing seed from various sources, as some may be named incorrectly. Seed from several sources labelled A. patagonica took 64, 74, 96 and 301 days to germinate. -- Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada maritime zone 8 cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy winter - 68 cm annually) sandy soil