alpine and subalpine Plants from New Zealand

[Leucogenes]

Hello David

Finally I find the time to also thank you for the great photos of your hikes. All plants shown bring me a lot of joy. I am looking forward to more pictures from the wilderness.

By the way... after endless attempts, I finally have some successful sowings of different alpine NZ... here just a small example... different Celmisia... more will follow.

Greetings
Thomas

[Carolyn]

I've got celmisia seedlings germinating too - C. lyallii,  wild collected for the seed exchange.  Sown  19th Jan and placed outside where there has been very little frost but lots of rain. Germinated 19th Feb. Many thanks to our kiwi collectors who supplied very good seeds this season. I am hoping that the other species will soon germinate too.

[Leucogenes]

I've got celmisia seedlings germinating too - C. lyallii,  wild collected for the seed exchange.  Sown  19th Jan and placed outside where there has been very little frost but lots of rain. Germinated 19th Feb. Many thanks to our kiwi collectors who supplied very good seeds this season. I am hoping that the other species will soon germinate too.

I am very pleased that the first seeds from NZ have germinated in you too. In my case you can see more seedlings... including Carmichaelia nanum and Brachyglottis haastii.

Also in the Alpinum the first new shoots can be seen...for example Gentianella corymbifera.
Apparently the much too mild winter was very good for the alpine NZ.😉

[Leucogenes]

Despite all the bad news (Corona) today is a good day for me. While checking the sowings I discovered Aciphylla crosby smithii...

[Leucogenes]

The flowers of Acrothamnus colonsoi are only a few millimetres "big"... but I like this dwarf shrub from NZ very much. 

[David Lyttle]

Despite all the bad news (Corona) today is a good day for me. While checking the sowings I discovered Aciphylla crosby smithii...

That's great, Thomas. Looks like you had a very good strike. New Zealand is in the process of shutting down because of Covid-19. I am meant to be isolating myself and my wife is now working from home. When you pot them on don't wait too long as Aciphyllas dont like being moved.

Here is a photo of Aciphilla crosby-smithii taken last month on Mt Luxmore. All the Aciphylla species mast-flowered last season so there are no flowers or seeds this year.

[Leucogenes]

Hello David

In fact I can hardly put my happiness about the germination of this Aciphylla into words. Other native NZs also have good germination... especially with various Celmisia.

In general the sowing is very successful this season...every week I discover many new seedlings.

Thanks for the helpful tip... I will prick the young plants in due course.

A private isolation is the best protection against this damn virus. I'll keep working... ...and I can't afford a home office.

A big thank you to all the people who keep society going... worldwide.

Cheers
Thomas 🤘

[Carolyn]

 All the Aciphylla species mast-flowered last season so there are no flowers or seeds this year.

Ah, that explains why we didn't find any in flower when we were over in Dec! How frequently do they tend to flower, David?  I notice that Thomas's seeds were sown in June and have germinated. I sowed mine in January - should I expect germination this season or next?

[David Lyttle]

Hi Carolyn,

Aciphylla flowering tends to be a bit erratic. You may see flowering in successive years but every 4-5yrs there tends to be a heavy mast when all plants flower followed by a season when virtually no plants flower. All Aciphylla species tend to mast flower in the same year. Celmisia species tend to follow a similar pattern though it is not as marked as in Aciphylla.

Aciphylla seed does not remain viable for very long and is best sown fresh (very much like parsnips).  Celmisia is the same.

[Carolyn]

Thank you for your answer, David. I didn't realise that celmisias can have a mast year too. We found plenty in flower up  on the Paparoa track in December. Quite wonderful.
I have been out to the cold frame and counted 12 pots of wild-collected celmisia seedlings. No aciphyllas yet. It  was so excitingto get such good seeds this year. Thanks, Kiwi friends!

[Leucogenes]

Hello Carolyn

I have sown my seeds from NZ at three different times. First on receipt...on the 16.06.
Then again on 26.10. and on 24.11.

When I sowed in June there was no germination in the Celmisia's so far. But the pots from October are partly full of healthy seedlings.

Also with the four or five different Aciphylla's only A. crosby smithii has germinated so far. In any case you should not dispose of the pots hastily. I have pots from 2018...at the weekend I could actually see a timid germination in Lobelia roughii and Ranunculus crithmifolius.

I am not a specialist... but I think one should never give up hope...😉

[Carolyn]

Thomas,
That is interesting information about when you sowed/germinated the seeds.
I always keep pots for several years anyway. I have just found some trilliums from 2016 germinating....

[Leucogenes]

Thomas,
That is interesting information about when you sowed/germinated the seeds.
I always keep pots for several years anyway. I have just found some trilliums from 2016 germinating....

Hi Carolyn...

We shouldn't underestimate the germination capacity of some seeds. I'm doing a little experiment on some very old seeds from a good friend of mine.

Here's another example... Marrubium supinum... the seeds were harvested in 2011.

[Leucogenes]

Myosotis glabrescens...😉

[David Lyttle]

Myosotis glabrescens...😉

But its not; it is Myosotis retrosa. However that is a story for another time.