Germinating now- - photos of seedlings

[Yann]

I don't often post photos of seedlings, but this one is very special for me.
Fritillaria carica, from the late Marcus Harvey. It was sown on november 2015.
also  Muscari atlanticum, Tulipa raddii and Paeonia  clusii

[Leucogenes]

Findings of today...

Aster flaccidus
Tragopogon spec.
Gutierrezia baccheroides
Townsendia condensata
Phacelia sericea
Besseya wyomingensis

[Karaba]

Tulipa raddii

Just curious of where you found the seeds. T. raddii is a triploid and is said to be sterile (mine didn't set seeds even hand pollinated).

[Yann]

from a swap with the Geneva botanical garden.
Triploids species can set seeds, off course vegetative division is the main way.

CBN of Porquerolles also had seeds in its index seminum in 2015-2016

[Karaba]

Ok, thanks for the details. It's not only my T. raddii that are sterile, my observation are anecdotic but I read it in several reports and scientific publications. It would be interesting to see the plant in flower.

[Yann]

It set seeds but only 10-20% to get viable bulbils. The rest will perish due to dna disorder. I've 4 pots full of seeds? If i can keep 10 bulbs i'll be very happy. Geneva BG got last year a 23% rate of good bulbils.
Same happens with clusiana, for 3 years i wasn't able to get reliable seeds. In 2016 a pod produce good seeds. And i think the same happens with triploids species.

[brianw]

In a weak moment, apparently in July 2017, I sowed some of my own Dodecatheon seed in an old half seed tray, with no doubt just some odd soil I had around. Recently they seem all to have germinated but in only ~15mm of soil depth now.


 I have only seen Dodecatheon/ Shooting Stars in the wild on NARGS trips in lush wet spring meadows in Alta in Utah, along with the striking Pedicularis groenlandica

or in spring snow flushes in Wyoming,

where presumably the rosettes disappear as soon as the water dries up. In my, relatively dry garden, only the seed stems hang around for long after flowering. I recall they have star fish like root systems. Any advice as to how I might treat these seedlings, now, or in the near future? I can feed a little but they have very little soil to grow in at present. Will they go into dormancy if I let them dry off too much in the process of separation? I could wash them out and prick out in very wet soil, but at what stage, and when, might they be ready for individual pots, singly or in “bunches”?
Anyone grow them in a grass lawn in Europe? They would disappear quite quickly in late spring.
Thanks.

[Robert]

Hi Brian,

Do you know the species?

Even without a species name, where the seed originated would be helpful.

This information may be very helpful to those offering advice.

Good luck with your seedlings. They look like they are doing well.

Our Dodecatheon (Primula) hendersonii are still blooming here in California. The late forms have not even started yet. They look great.  As a side note, I doubt that your Dodecatheon are D. hendersonii, which is a xeric species native to California and Western North America.

[brianw]

Not too clear but you can just make out the label as 'Red Wings'. A Dodecatheon pulchellum variety fairly common in the UK, presumably usually grown from seed, not division. Not obvious in the photo but in the one surrounded by soil there is clear running water flowing passed the plants on a ~1 in 3 slope.  I saw them in other places on that trip in just the same sloping habitat, very wet. I just happened to be in the same place 10 years before when the season was different and there were Fritillaries in flower on the same slope; but then dry, on the surface at least.

[AlpinealexO]

A few exciting germinations for me so far!

Androsace ciliata


Androsace robusta ssp. purpurea


Dionysia involucrata (AGS seed)


Eritrichium cf. rupestre


Perezia recurvata

[AlpinealexO]

more...

Viola jooi (AGS)
Viola tianschanica
and lastly, if these tincy wincy cotelydons are what I think they are, Ive got a hard job on my hands...
Saxifraga wardii


exciting times ahead, if they survive hahaha.

[Maggi Young]

I know what you mean, Alex, getting the seeds to germinate is  immensely  satisfying and fun - but  the champagne is  best  kept  for when the  plants start  flowering and making their own seed!  Mind you, since that road is such an uncertain one, most of us  are happy to  have a celebration at this  stage  - such a lift to the spirit when the first growth is spotted!
 I can never understand why some folk never grow plants  from seed - they don't know what they're missing!

[Leucogenes]

I know what you mean, Alex, getting the seeds to germinate is  immensely  satisfying and fun - but  the champagne is  best  kept  for when the  plants start  flowering and making their own seed!  Mind you, since that road is such an uncertain one, most of us  are happy to  have a celebration at this  stage  - such a lift to the spirit when the first growth is spotted!
 I can never understand why some folk never grow plants  from seed - they don't know what they're missing!

Maggi... I agree with you on all points. It is a small feast when the seeds germinate...therefore here the finds of this weekend.

Cremanthodium rhodocephalum
Douglasia laevigata var ciliolata
Silene hookeri
Thlaspi minimum
Physaria reediana

[Leucogenes]

Douglasia nivalis (Chumstick Form)
Nassauvia revoluta
Arnebia euchroma
Puschkinia scilloides

[Leucogenes]

I am particularly happy about seven healthy seedlings of Lupinus lepidus... the seeds come from a plant from quite high altitude...  so I hope that the offspring will also remain very small.