Lilium seeds
Rodger Whitlock (Thu, 30 Oct 2003 13:41:55 PST)
On 26 Oct 03 at 11:20, John Ingram wrote:
I had a L. regal alba that produced some seeds this year all on
their own. My question is, are they supposed to be clear and no
coloration of an embryo? Are are my seeds just duds? If not, what do
I do with them now?
Liliaceous seeds -- including tulips, fritillaries, lilies, and
their ilk -- in transmitted light show a darkened area (the
endosperm) in the middle plus a dormant embryo, a small elongated
affair attached to the hilum. The embryo noticeably swells if you
soak the seed in water for about 48 hours.
If your seeds are entirely transparent flakes, they are not
viable seeds.
Bulb lovers who cannot make sense of my first paragraph would do well
to go look at such seeds over on a light table until they get the
hang of this. You needn't use the seed of some rarity: Fritillaria
meleagris will do quite nicely.
--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
"To co-work is human,
to cow-ork, bovine."