Observations and theory of Galanthus germination

[partisangardener]

Some mold seemed not to have bad effects, as far as I observed. Shipping in live sphagnum is best, only with too many seeds the elaiosome will start to rot and take mold. The seed will take colour even without drying.
 The inside is well developed in white seeds.

[Leena]

Some mold seemed not to have bad effects, as far as I observed. Shipping in live sphagnum is best, only with too many seeds the elaiosome will start to rot and take mold. The seed will take colour even without drying.
 The inside is well developed in white seeds.

Thank you!

[Tim Harberd]

Here are some first year bulbs weighing in a 0.5grams each!

They come from a pod on ‘Mrs Macnamara‘, which I dusted with ‘Three Ships’ pollen.

Shortly after doing that I read that MrsM was a triploid, so I expected the pod to be empty.

When the pod yielded some seed, I thought: Perhaps MrsM produced some unreduced (triploid) gametes. Which would suggest the seeds are (fertile) tetraploids. (Based on an assumption that 3Ships is diploid.)

I’ve just read in the Dryad list, that Anne thinks MrsM is Tetraploid… Which would make my seedlings (sterile) triploids.

Hey ho! At least they germinated!!

Tim DH

[annew]

Coo - they sound interesting. They probably will be BIG!

[Tim Harberd]

I don't recall anyone posting photos of fresh seed. It's interesting looking stuff! Here are some of mine.

This lot, open pollinated, from the cultivar I call 'Sam Isnot'.

Tim DH

[Jupiter]

Excellent photographs Tim. I'll try to get some photographs of my first time sowing Galanthus this spring. I'm waiting for capsules to mature.

[Matt T]

I posted a pic of seeds from G.peshmenii here: http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4426.msg330773#msg330773

[Tim Harberd]

Thanks for the link Matt

They look interesting too.

Photographing on a 1mm grid is a good idea.. Only mine are all planted now.

Tim DH

[Cyril L]

Cyril....great to know G. 'E.A. Bowles' is fertile. Good luck growing these seedlings on and we will look forward to seeing their progress at some point.

Thank you. Rick

Thanks for the information, Cyril! I'll try again...

Thank you. Exciting...

Rick and Anne, 3 years after germination, I can report some of the Galanthus E. A. Bowles seedlings are flowering for the first time but ......... what a disappointment All 4 flowering plants have flowers with aberrant inner segments.  I suppose I was naive to expect the seedlings would turn out as good as the parent.  The leaves suggest the parent plant had hybridised with G. nivalis, the bees have picked the wrong plant for the pollen!  I will plant them outside in the hope they might improve when they mature but that is unlikely.

[Maggi Young]

From everything I've heard about the behaviour of  immature  snowdrop flowers and the  obvious variability of certain varieties from year  to year, is it not a bit early to   dismiss these seedlings flowering for the first time, Cyril? 

[Cyril L]

Maggi, I have not exactly dismissed the seedlings, I will plant them outside and see what happened but it will be extraordinary if they turned out to be worthwhile.

[Brian Ellis]

May be worth planting them together Cyril in case their are any natural back crosses, but there may also be a possibility that when the bulbs get to their optimum size their could be a difference.

[annew]

Fingers crossed Cyril! Naughty bees, or not well enough trained..

[Cyril L]

Thanks Brian and Anne.  Maybe in a few years time something better than E. A. Bowles will appear but this is more in hope that expectation.

[Tim Harberd]

I spotted what I thought to be a seedling in a clump of Mrs Macnamara, so I pulled it out…

Being intrigued by what came up I then pulled a spare seedling out of one of my seed pots!

It’s curious how the seeds have apparently grown down before they started growing up.

Tim DH

(Note to self… Be more careful to remove ALL seed pods in future!)