sowing advice searched for Jeffersonia diphylla

[Hans J]

Hi all ,

I have just collect from my plant a portion of fresh seeds 
Now I need some advices for sowing - has anybody here experiences with growing this plant from seeds ?

Thank you in advance
Hans

[TheOnionMan]

Sow the seed fresh from harvest. You can keep the seeds in plastic sandwich bags for up to a few days, so they don't dry out.

Jeffersonia seed requires two season cycles, first a warm cycle where seed flats go through summer and into autumn. If we have long dry spells in summer, I do occasionally sprinkle the flats. I situate seed flats on the ground in an open shade location where they are exposed to the weather all summer, autumn, and winter.  The second cycle is the cold cycle, the flats exposed to winter weather, in spring there should be high level of germination.

I like to use pressed fiber flats for sowing seed of spring ephemeral plants. These flats are permeable and "breathe", wicking and equalizing moisture in both directions. If the flats are placed on a hard surface (such as a patio), I put the flats on top of a layer of bark mulch, again for that 2-way moisture wicking action.

Critters like Jeffersonia seed, so I always cover my seed flats with light gauge wire mesh that I can cut to size and bend the edges over two edges of the flat.  Good luck.

Two photos, first showing the typical high germination results on both diphylla and dubia, and the second showing just how robust diphylla seedlings quickly gain size.

[Hans J]

Hello Mark ,

many thanks for your good growing informations

I'm just back from from sowing ...now I wait for spring

Your results are fantastic - congratulations !
I suppose you use for Epimedium + vancouveria same ( or similar ) methods ?

Again - many thanks
Hans

[TheOnionMan]

Your results are fantastic - congratulations !
I suppose you use for Epimedium + vancouveria same ( or similar ) methods ?

Hi Hans,
Yes I do the same for Epimedium typically with strong germination.  It's another story with Vancouveria, for over 30 years I only had the white Vancouveria hexandra, but it must need another clone with which to cross and set seed, because in all those years and reliable bloom each year, it has never set any seed.  I finally acquired planipetala (has insignificant flowers) and chrysantha. I was interested in trying to cross hexandra x chrysantha (and the reverse cross). I've been told that much of what is in cultivation as chrysantha, particularly so in Europe, is actually a hybrid, with the tell-tale sign of pale yellow flowers. 

I bought my chrysantha from a nursery in the Pacific Northwest, USA, and critically put it through the keys and feel confident it is the true species, a good bright yellow.  Seed pods formed on both species, just a few, the first time ever in 3 decades on hexandra. Being utterly unfamiliar with Vancouveria seed, I made a mistake, pointed out to me by seed master Kristl Walek, that I harvested the seed too early. I thought when pod start opening up, seed is ready and ripe as with Epimedium, but what I didn't know, the seeds are adhered to the split pod valves and continue ripening in such a state with seeds fully exposed to view, they turn a dark brown eventually. So, regrettably I did not get any germination and my premature seed. Also learned that while hexandra is strongly drought resistant, chrysantha collapses or "crisps" with the slightest whiff of dryness, and I eventually lost chrysantha. Would have tried crossing with the microscopic flowers of planipetala just for fun, but rabbits or squirrels decapitate the flower stems.

Vancouveria chrysantha, foliage with fuzzy flower stem emerging, and close-up of those parachute flowers.

[Hans J]

Hi Mark ,

Yes - I think too that Vancouveria are really interesting genus...but difficult to get here in Germany ( Europe )

I have 2 x tried with seeds of V.chrysantha from seed exchange ...nothing ( now I believe that those seeds are not fresh enough )

In last months I have now acquired :
2 plants of V.hexandra ( one from France - one from Scotland )
2 plants of V.chrysantha ( one from Belgium - one from Germany )
1 plant of V.planipetala ( from France )

Mhhh ...I had few flowers on my V.chrysantha - it looks for me like a good yellow - sorry no pics

Just back from the garden :
I have one seed pod on a V.chrysantha ...I will wait until it split ( the fruit is now safe in a "bag")

Good luck for your future cultivation and hybridization of this plants
Hans