Eranthis stellata

Jane McGary janemcgary@earthlink.net
Fri, 07 Mar 2008 08:43:30 PST
Gerhard asked,
>just received some seed of Eranthis stellate from Siberia. Does anyone
>have experience in sowing this one. Any help/experience is appreciated.

I haven't grown this species, but I've grown other Eranthis species from 
stored seed, and also Adonis, another member of the Ranunculaceae that is 
not believed to stay viable (able to germinate) in storage. I find that one 
doesn't get very good germination, but with these difficult-to-obtain 
plants, even a single plant is welcome and can usually produce seeds that 
can be sown fresh. My experience is that seeds sown in late winter have 
germinated the following midwinter after being left in outdoor temperatures 
and never allowed to dry out after sowing.

Ranunculus and Anemone are related genera with geophytic members and 
similar problems, but I've grown Ranunculus abnormis from seed. I find that 
Anemone species that produce seeds coated in woolly "fuzz" germinate well 
after storage, but those with smooth seeds generally do not. This may 
account for the frequent appearance of A. multifida, a woolly-seeded 
species, in exchange seed lists under far more tempting names!

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA




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