Rogan and others, I obtained seed of 'Placea arzae' three years ago from Osmani Baullosa, who suggested using a float method for germinating the seed. I filled a 1 cm deep, 10 cm diameter container with water, and set it on the window sill, where it got mid-day sun for several hours (evaporation kept the water from overheating). Most of the seed germinated within three days, the rest shortly after. I left them in this environment until the radical was about 2 cm long, then nestled them into a quick draining seed soil. Some that I planted with a shorter radical, took much longer to renew growth, and were weaker plants. The seed were planted into a slit in the soil, radical down, and with about half the seed capsule exposed above the soil. I keep the plants growing for as long as I can, then completely dry them off for the summer. Of the original 20 seed, I still have 8 plants growing, having returned both years after dormancy (some of the loses are due to a stupid watering error, I'm sure). They seem to grow slowly, but are increasing in size if the leaf is a valid indicator. Hope that this helps, and that I continue to have success to report! Dave Brastow (Tumwater, Washington - 7A)