Paeonia seed germination, was Paeonia californica
Jane McGary (Sun, 15 Jul 2018 09:56:08 PDT)
To answer Dylan's question about Paeonia cambessedesii: I grow a lot of
this species, as well as other ones. I never scarify the seed, even the
massive seeds of P. lutea, which self-sows in this area. Generally no
leaf appears the first year after sowing, but a radicle is produced
(known as hypogeal germination). The leaves appear the second spring.
This seems to be a consistent pattern. Other species peonies also
self-sow in gardens here, particularly P. daurica.
Most of my P. camb. seeds come from two plants I keep in the bulb house
(planted directly in the bed, not in pots), but some seed obtained under
that name from the NARGS seedex germinated this spring and contained
mixed species or hybrids; only one appeared to be true(ish). P. camb. is
easily identified by its almost metallic blue-green leaves, very
beautiful in early growth. It was not quite winter-hardy in my former
garden (up in the hills), but I think I'll try some outdoors now that
I'm at a lower elevation. It will certainly be a wonderful plant for
California gardens, ornamental both in flower and in foliage. It goes
dormant in late summer. In the bulb frames and bulb house it has
survived about 20 degrees F when covered from rain.
Jane McGary, Portland, Oregon, USA
On 7/11/2018 8:40 AM, Hannon wrote:
When I worked at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden we had a crop of P.
californica. I remember the seeds germinated like kidney beans without any
treatment, but getting them through their leafless summer dormancy in pots
was challenging. Watering lightly about every two weeks helped during this
period; seedlings kept totally dry perished. The mix was well-drained with
plenty of sand and pumice and a low % of organic matter. Still, after a few
years we ended up with only one plant in a 1x1x1 foot wooden box.
Recently I planted fresh seeds of P. cambessedesii with zero germination
over winter. The seeds appear to have a harder coat that the CA native
species. Maybe they need scarification as someone else mentioned?
Dylan
*"The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add an
useful plant to its culture…" --**Thomas Jefferson*
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