I never had any luck germinating any of the papery amaryllid seeds until I started using the floatation method. However, when I try it on Cyrtanthus seeds -- which I generally have poor luck germinating -- I get mixed results. Some Cyrtanthus seeds do not produce green shoots floating on water, while others do. I have had good luck with C. brachyscyphus, fair luck with C. breviflorus, and no luck with several other species. Is it possible that some Cyrtanthus species have a form of hypogeal germination, forming a bulb and then going into a resting stage without forming a green leaf until the next season? I've seen some Cyrtanthus seeds float, sprout the radicle, and then sit there until they die. I've also planted some before they died and before there was any sign of a green shoot -- they never came up. Jim Shields in central Indiana