Donation/ rhodofiala bifida seed
gatogordo@webtv.net (Tue, 23 Sep 2003 19:53:04 PDT)

Last Spring I mentioned that I had a patch of seedy rhodofiala
bifida--apparently an anomaly in Texas-grown rhodofiala. A number of
members were interested in acquiring some of these seeds, so I would
like to make a donation to the BX. I have some questions though as I am
a novice at collecting and packaging seed. First, I understand that
these seed are ephemeral, so I need to collect them as soon as they
mature--will that be when the seed capsule first ruptures?--or is there
some other indicator of maturity? Second, can I collect them in paper
envelopes, and should I separate them into separate, individual
portions, or send them in bulk? I have about 20 to 30 plants with seed
pods, and spotted the first ruptured pods today, but the majority are
at least a week from reaching that point. Third, how should I package
them for mailing? Because the seed are ephemeral, with viability for
about two weeks, I want to collect and mail them as speedily as
possible. Your advice will be very helpful and much appreciated.

Thank you very much

Theresa Massey
Austin TX