Colchicum seeds, was how to sow daubenya aurea
Peter Taggart (Sat, 04 Jan 2014 12:14:04 PST)
I have known Colchicum seeds from my own plants germinate the Spring
following sowing. I rarely rush to collect it and so it does have time to
mature naturally which seems sensible to me - I find it at repotting time.
I do however agree that fast germination is the exception rather than the
rule.
I have never bothered to wash Colchicum seeds, though I have done this
with Cyclamen. Colchicums do seem to germinate best after cold winters but
I have known it after warmer ones. I subscribe to the theory that many
hard seeds are best sown and imbibed in warm conditions before Winter.
In flower here are Colchicums jolante from seed, munzurense and hirsutum.
Peter (UK)
On Sat, Jan 4, 2014 at 6:31 PM, Jane McGary <janemcgary@earthlink.net>wrote:
Arnold wrote
This is something similar to a paper I read on Colchicum
seeds. Theory was that when they were released from the plant there
were not fully mature and did so over the next months at a warm
temperature.
Colchicum seeds are notorious for erratic germination. I have grown
many species from seed over the years and have rarely if ever seen
germination the year they were sown. Instead, at a certain point in
late winter, it is likely that seed pots from different years and
different species will germinate within one or two weeks. So don't
discard those pots!
Ripe, dehiscing Colchicum seeds are hard, which makes them seem
mature, but I have never looked at the inside under a microscope.
However, the seeds are sometimes sticky, which implies that they have
a coating to attract ants, which will disperse the seeds after eating
the coating. In this case it may be necessary for this coating to be
removed, perhaps by a detergent solution, before sowing. I'll try
that next year.
In flower today are two color forms of Colchicum doerfleri and the
white-flowered Colchicum atticum (Merendera attica). All were grown
from seed more than ten years ago.