Trillium 2009

[John Aipassa]

Collected some seed today, and planted them. I washed the seed first, then sowed in a leaf compost bed. I will try to keep the spot moist until fall, maybe some will show in the spring? It has taken two springs for me to see seedlings above ground in the past.

If sown fresh (straight from the berry without any treatment), kurabayashii seed gives me the highest chance of germination the very first spring after sowing. This year even erectum seeds decided to appear in the spring after being sown fresh last summer. So, it is possible to have germination the following spring after sowing. Normally it will take two springs though.

Cheers,

[Regelian]

OK, folks,

I take it that some of you are getting to the point of harvesting fresh, ripe Trillium and Paris seed.  I'm interested in just about any species.  Drop me a PM, please!

[gote]

Collected some seed today, and planted them. I washed the seed first, then sowed in a leaf compost bed. I will try to keep the spot moist until fall, maybe some will show in the spring? It has taken two springs for me to see seedlings above ground in the past.

If sown fresh (straight from the berry without any treatment), kurabayashii seed gives me the highest chance of germination the very first spring after sowing. This year even erectum seeds decided to appear in the spring after being sown fresh last summer. So, it is possible to have germination the following spring after sowing. Normally it will take two springs though.

Cheers,

When you have this early germination, how long time is it until you get winter conditions after sowing?
Göte

[GrahamB]

I've just had my first ever seed from my Trillium maculatum f simulans. Does anybody know if it comes true from seed or are thye all likely to be plain T maculatum

[Anthony Darby]

Welcome to the Forum Graham.

[Regelian]

I've just had my first ever seed from my Trillium maculatum f simulans. Does anybody know if it comes true from seed or are thye all likely to be plain T maculatum

Graham,

welcome aboard,

by definition a 'forma' is not a geographically isolated taxon and is typically found in mixed populations, therefore it may not breed true in the presence of other forms.  It will tend to produce offspring with its characteristics, but this depends on the pollen parent a great deal.  If the seed is from a selfing or pollination with another f. simulans, then it should breed true.

It would be interesting to hear your results.

[Mike Ireland]

Jamie
some photos of Trillium kurabayashii colour variation. 

Mike

[Regelian]

Wow, Mike, even the leaves are showing distinct pattern groups.  Are there other species blooming synchron to T. kurabayashii, whereby hybrids might happen?  From the looks of the flowers, these all seem pretty pure, but I really do not know enough about Trillium to place a sound judgement.  This is fascinating.  If these are all true, then the genome must have quite a bit of recessive variability, which only appears in isolated populations.  From what little info I've read on T. kurabayashii, it is pretty stable colourwise in the wild, although a few hybrid swarms have been reported, possibly with T. albidum.  It may be the species always carries a few hybrid genes in certain areas of its range.

In any case, these are very beautiful and desirable garden plants for sure!

[Paul T]

Stunning, Mike.  Are these some of the ones I can perhaps expect from that seed you sent?  I'd be stoked to grow any of those, particularly with the wonderful leaf markings.  Beautiful pics, particularly the groups with the dark and the pinks mixed.  That is some display!!  Wish my Trilliums grew that well here.    Maybe I should print the pics and take them out and show my plants...... the sessile types are just starting to unfurl their shoots right now, as it happens. 

[Mike Ireland]

Jamie
I do have Trillium albidum in the garden but it has flowered this year for the first time, so no cross fertilization from those plants.  I do grow T. ovatum Roy Elliott and T. rivale but I can't imagine they would cause any problems with kurabayashii.  All the mixed colour forms came from the seed of the very dark plant, the first photo posted today.

Mike

[Mike Ireland]

Paul
Keep your fingers crossed because your seed is from the parent of the mixed coloured forms.

Mike

[Paul T]

Mike,

I thought that was the case, but so nice to have it confirmed.    I can but hope that they'll end up a selection like that.  Some of those are particularly beautiful leaves to still have those dark a markings when the flowers are fully open. So often, promising leaf markings are already fading by the time the flowers are in prominence.  Thank you SO much. 

[Rodger Whitlock]

It's possible the seed parent is itself a hybrid. That would explain the wide variation in flower color.

If you browse through Fred Case's book on trilliums, you will find repeated references to hybrids in the wild and, as has already been pointed out, T. kurabayashii and T. albidum are among those species that hybridize naturally.

[Stephen Vella]

Mike,

Nice T kurabayashii,

Do you remember the source of your original plant?

I had seed from North west seeds from Ron Radco and I too came up with colour variations from whites ,creams, pinks, red, marrons and even a yellow. All excellent colours and supposingly wild source but I was told they are most likely to be hybrids and not wild sourced as this colour selection is not found in the wild. Definatly not whites and yellows.

Also T Kurabayashii has also been misidentified in the past in gardens in the U.K and are in fact T chloropetalum. It may be worth keying out.

Cheers

cheers

[Mike Ireland]

Stephen
The plants were grown from seed given to me by a friend nearby.  Her plants came from Herbert & Molly Crook many, many years ago.  My friend took specimens of her plants to Carl Denton and he confirmed them as T. kurabayashii.  Hope this helps.


Mike