germination of South African Romulea?
J D Hitchmough (Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:51:37 PST)

In my limited experience to date with wild collected seed of unknown age,
germination of autumn sown seed is typically erratic and the total germination
percentage very low, typically <5%. Is this typically other peoples
experience, or is germination higher with fresh seed? Has anyone tried
scarification or hot water treatment to abrade/soften the hard seed coat prior
to sowing with any success? I assume that antelope/sheep browse Romulea
capsules, and passage through their guts might achieve similar effects in their
habitat? The scientific literature suggests that smoke/fire does not
directly imporve germination of Romulea.

Any experiences?

James Hitchmough

Zone 8-ish
Professor of Horticultural Ecology
Department of Landscape
Arts Tower
University of Sheffield
S10 2TN