Fritillaria striata propagation
Jane McGary (Fri, 22 Nov 2019 10:19:31 PST)
Slight misinterpretation of my earlier remarks on this:
And I don't think many California plants ripen seed during a rainy season, then wait to sprout until the following rainy season.
That is correct in part; they do ripen seed while drying out. However,
the seed does not germinate until moisture is present.
That part of California can get rain from late fall to mid spring, October to April. Snow is possible with winter storms, but it doesn't last long in the foothills. Heavy freezing for longer than overnight is not common. Then it is dry and hot for the duration of the summer. Grass begins growing with the rain, and dies for the summer. From Jane's comments referenced above it seems the plants flower and fruit in late fall, around the time of first rains, before the grass has grown enough to overtop them. Then I would expect fruits ripen rapidly, dehisce, and seeds sprout during the early winter.
I don't know if I wrote "fall" instead of "spring" or if this is another
error, but they /do not /flower in late fall; rather, in early to mid
spring, before the grass has grown up over them. The grass isn't tall
there until spring, although it does emerge during winter. The fruits do
not ripen rapidly; it takes 5 or 6 weeks for most California fritillarias.
I don't think the western American fritillaria species' seeds can be
stored a long time and remain viable, but I've always sown them in early
fall, after they've been stored dry all summer. As for other California
bulbs, some of their seeds can remain viable in storage for many years,
including Calochortus and the themids (Brodiaea etc.).
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