Colchicum seeds, was how to sow daubenya aurea

Peter Taggart petersirises@gmail.com
Sat, 04 Jan 2014 12:14:04 PST
I have known Colchicum seeds from my own plants germinate the Spring
following sowing. I rarely rush to collect it and so it does have time to
mature naturally which seems sensible to me - I find it at repotting time.
I do however agree that fast germination is the exception rather than the
rule.
I have never bothered to wash Colchicum seeds, though I have done this
with  Cyclamen. Colchicums do seem to germinate best after cold winters but
I have known it after warmer ones.  I subscribe to the theory that many
hard seeds are best sown and imbibed in warm conditions before Winter.
In flower here are Colchicums jolante from seed, munzurense and hirsutum.
Peter (UK)


On Sat, Jan 4, 2014 at 6:31 PM, Jane McGary <janemcgary@earthlink.net>wrote:

> Arnold wrote
>
> >This is something similar to a paper I read on Colchicum
> >seeds.  Theory was that when they were released from the plant there
> >were not fully mature and did so over the next months at a warm
> temperature.
>
> Colchicum seeds are notorious for erratic germination. I have grown
> many species from seed over the years and have rarely if ever seen
> germination the year they were sown. Instead, at a certain point in
> late winter, it is likely that seed pots from different years and
> different species will germinate within one or two weeks. So don't
> discard those pots!
>
> Ripe, dehiscing Colchicum seeds are hard, which makes them seem
> mature, but I have never looked at the inside under a microscope.
> However, the seeds are sometimes sticky, which implies that they have
> a coating to attract ants, which will disperse the seeds after eating
> the coating. In this case it may be necessary for this coating to be
> removed, perhaps by a detergent solution, before sowing. I'll try
> that next year.
>
> In flower today are two color forms of Colchicum doerfleri and the
> white-flowered Colchicum atticum (Merendera attica). All were grown
> from seed more than ten years ago.
>
>



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