arisaema seeds

[Véronique Macrelle]

I've been ordering Arisaema propinquuum and thunbegii seeds from srgc for several years now, but I can't get them to germinate.
This year, I tried 6 weeks of hot, 6 weeks of cold, but still nothing.
Is there a particular technique for these species?
When I sow my own A. ciliatum Morello cherries, they germinate quite well.

otherwise dear forumists,
Do you know of a source of Arisaema seeds in UE?

[Carolyn]

Veronique, soak the dried seeds in water for 24 - 48 hours. Change the water several times to remove any germination inhibitors. Good luck next time! I have never tried thunbergii, but have germinated propinquum this way.

[Ben Candlin]

Veronique, seeds of Arisaema propinquum (likely actually to be a part of the griffithii complex) are highly ephemeral. Seeds will need to be sown as fresh as possible, or stored in cool and just moist conditions to retain viability.

Arisaema thunbergii retains viability well, but they are hypogeal germinators, and so don't make a leaf in their first year. Instead they just make a small protocorm only and the leaf appears from year 2 onwards. I expect many people discard otherwise healthy pots of seedling tubers due to this.

[Véronique Macrelle]

thank you for your detailed answers.
 I suspected something like that. I've already tried A. griffithii and failed, and I'd read that the seeds were often not viable.
For thunbergii, I have a pot that has made its 2nd spring, and I have nothing yet. But last year it wasn't sown until mid-March. Do I still have hope for 2025?
keeping a seedling pot just the right amount of moisture for so long isn't exactly easy.

For species that germinate more easily, I've had some success with leaching, in particular this year I've got a nice pot of A fargesii (12 germinations) but for ovale, amurensis or consanguineum, germination is very sparse: only 1 or 2 plants.



Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

[Véronique Macrelle]

Here are the results of my Arisaema ciliatum seedling.
No matter what I do, the leaves turn yellow. I've read that their growing season should be extended as much as possible, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet.
These seeds come from my plants, which I fertilised with a pipette of water.
I had a good germination rate. The largest bulbils are 8 mm wide.
 is it possible to do better for this species?

 on the other hand, 3 germinations were late and the bulbs barely measured 2 mm. their leaves turned yellow at the same time as the others. I don't think these will survive the winter.

[Carolyn]

I find that first year arisaema seedlings often die back early. I just keep them in the same pot, fairly dry and protected from the worst of the frost over the winter. I pot them individually the next spring and they grow on just fine.

[Diane Whitehead]

I get seeds from the Arisaema Enthusiast Group

https://florapix.nl/arisaema-l/

[Véronique Macrelle]

Did you order any this year, Diane?
I'd been told that AEG would cease trading after 2023, particularly for seed exchange, so I didn't check.

[Diane Whitehead]

No, but when I checked their website, it looked as though they still have seeds.

[Véronique Macrelle]

last year i ordered what was left in july and got 2 or 3 year old seeds of tortuosum and triphyllum, consanguineum: some germinated, others just a little (1 or 2) and still others not at all.
 I'd like to try other species.

The results of my Arisaema amurensis seedlings are disappointing: the tubers are only 2 mm wide. I've already sown this species 4 or 5 times (seeds from srgc or SAJA ), and I can't get past that stage. Usually, nothing comes back the following year. At least there are about ten of them here, whereas I usually only get 2 or 3.

[Véronique Macrelle]

as I always recycle the soil from my seedling pots (you never know!)
 this year I've got some surprise seedlings that turned up where they weren't expected!
I don't know what species they are!
-the first one has a very small leaf (less than 1 cm!) it grew in the pot of a pepper, so I have chosen Arisaema... who knows, maybe it's a thunbergii that's finally surfacing?
but I've sown so many species that haven't produced anything and recycled their seedbed soil.

-the other two have emerged in the middle of my Codonopsis ovata and will probably stay there until i find out what it is, i don't want to disturb my Codonopsis ovata. most likely, it's Arisaema flavum, i think, as it fruits easily..

I don't suppose you can tell an Arisaema from a seedling?

[Véronique Macrelle]

the results of my Arisaema fargesii sowing. The largest tubers are about 1 cm wide. Can we do better for a first year?
I notice a variation in the colour of the tubers.

These seeds were donated to the SAJA association (France) by a kind donor on the forum, whom I thank wholeheartedly  . I was able to order some, I got about twenty and here I am with these 18 little tubers.
They germinated very well. I now sow Arisaema seedlings in March under a velux window in the house in a cool room (around 15°C): they sprout more quickly and more evenly than in the cold greenhouse, but there are still some latecomers who have only produced small tubers.

 I've noticed that when there are twenty or so seeds, almost all germinate, but when there's a pack of 7 to 10 seeds, the Arisaema germinate very little (0 to 3 germinate). Do the seeds help each other through a set of hormones? Or is it just chance?
The next time I don't have many, I'll sow them in packets, barely spaced out.

[Véronique Macrelle]

  :-[I have the impression that my Arisaema surprise no. 1 is more of a Pinellia, as it is starting a 2nd leaf.

[MarcR]

I've been ordering Arisaema propinquuum and thunbegii seeds from srgc for several years now, but I can't get them to germinate.
This year, I tried 6 weeks of hot, 6 weeks of cold, but still nothing.
Is there a particular technique for these species?
When I sow my own A. ciliatum Morello cherries, they germinate quite well.

otherwise dear forumists,
Do you know of a source of Arisaema seeds in UE?

Véronique,

Soaking the seed in 1tsp KNO₃ / l of water is sometimes helpful.

[Véronique Macrelle]

How does potassium nitrate affect seeds?