Ismene seedling -- is this the ture narcissiflora?

David Ehrlich idavide@sbcglobal.net
Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:54:51 PDT
Thank you all for helping me diagnose my Ismene.  I had always suspected that 
the plants might be x festalis, but about 4 years ago, they started producing 
seed, and have been doing so ever since.  I knew x festaliswas sterile, so 
I wondered whether I might have the true narcissiflora.  It never occurred to me 
that the seed might be apomictic.  Still, I never heard of x festalisproducing 
any seed, including apomicts.
 
The first year, because the seed was green, I planted it half above ground, so 
that it could photosynthesize.  It soon germinated and produced a very long deep 
root which protruded from the bottom of its too small pot.  But, nothing more 
happened, and after a few months, the seed began to rot.  This time I planted 
the seeds in a deep pot, and figuring that seeds don’t photosynthesize, 
completely covered them.  So, I don’t know when germinated occurred or how 
growth progressed until that cotyledon popped above the soil in mid-June.


David E.


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