TOW seed dormancy - Alstroemeria
Diane Whitehead (Fri, 16 Jan 2004 13:25:25 PST)
A. philippiana germinated 10 days from the time sown. Any of my
seeds that germinated in 30 days or less germinated in the warmth
of my kitchen or living room - Diane
That beats anything I saw 4 years ago when I tried germinating
without chilling, on a mist bench at high temps (20 to 23 C). I
don't have many seed of species (just a few of aurea and ligtu that
I collect annually) but I have oodles of hybrids sitting around. -
Roy
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Alstroemerias fill all, or almost all, niches in Chile, so seed
dormancy and germination requirements must vary depending on the
species. I don't have the F & W catalogues that describe where the
old seeds were collected. I'll list them so that perhaps someone who
has the old seedlists can tell us where.
Sown a month ago and currently about 7 cm tall and growing their third leaves:
this year's collecting:
10560 A. paupercula (formerly A. violacea) Chile Antofagasta
District, Northern Coastal Desert Zone barish scree and talus beds at
W facing, Pacific foot of coastal range 30 - 100 m
10575 A. philippiana Chile Atacama/Coquimbo area, Coastal
Semi-Mediterranean Desert Zone rough gulleys 250 m
old seed:
9531 magnifica ssp maxima
9582 diluta ssp chrysantha (yellow)
9558 diluta ssp chrysantha (pink)
9575 hookeri ssp cumingiana
9578 hookeri ssp maculata
9580 magenta
9604 pulchra v pulchra
Not yet germinated:
9507 and 9551 crispata
10300 pseudospathulata
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Seed that germinated within the one month warm period in previous years:
A. magnifica ssp maxima 16 days
A. aff exserens 18 days
A. psittacina 18 days
A. sp ex Patagonia 21 days
Until my plants flower there is not much point in comparing seed from
various sources, as some may be named incorrectly. Seed from several
sources labelled A. patagonica took 64, 74, 96 and 301 days to
germinate.
--
Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
maritime zone 8
cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy winter - 68 cm annually)
sandy soil