Jeffersonia

[McDonough]

Abnormally warm weather has brought about particularly early bloom in the garden, and in just a few days Jeffersonia have gone from no visible signs of sprouting to being in flower.  Today however is cold and dreary, so the first flowers are closed tightly.  I hope the predicted deep freezing nights for the next several nights doesn't do too much damage.




Jeffersonia diphylla was way behind J. dubia in emerging, but it caught up, to flower at the same time.




Left:  from a previous year's in-situ seed sowing of Jeffersonia dubia in a large patch of ground, are seedlings entering their second year of growth just emerging.
Right: from 2011 seed sowing of 5 flats of Jeffersonia dubia, they're all coming up thickly, as are 2 flats of J. diphylla.  In  the photo, the first seedlings showing, many many more are just breaking surface (can't see that in the photo) and others still germinating and pushing the soil surface upward.  Taking no risk, I'm bringing the flats inside for 3-4 days until the temperatures moderate.

[Lori S.]

Great to see your Jeffersonia so advanced, Mark.   Can't wait to see those pristine buds open.  (And look at that beautiful trillium in the background too.)

You'll need to watch it, though - they're practically getting to be weeds.    

[cohan]

Wow-- looking great! Hope the they weather the freeze okay..

[RickR]

My Jeffersonia diphylla buds with leaves, but Jeffersonia dubia does not.  Is that normal for you, Mark, or is it the weird weather?

          

J. diphylla is just emerging...

[McDonough]

Hmmm, interesting.  My J. dubia tend to show buds first but quickly by the time buds are ready to open there are young leaves, so I have always thought it as having simultaneous bud/leaf growth.  Could be that the extra warmth this spring is causing aberrant behavior, shooting buds up before leaves have had a chance. But my goodness, look at all them buds, going to be quite a sight soon.

Rick, do you get germination with the seed?  I'm always surprised that this plant is so expensive to purchase, when they make so much seed and seem very easy to germinate and grow on.

[McDonough]

Great to see your Jeffersonia so advanced, Mark.   Can't wait to see those pristine buds open.  (And look at that beautiful trillium in the background too.)

You'll need to watch it, though - they're practically getting to be weeds.    

Well, I'm hoping to replace much of my lawn with Jeffersonia   The trillium in the background is T. foetidissimum; I have several different ones, they are among the earliest to bud up.

Cohan and others, I hope to report back next weekend after the freezing weather, to see what transpires.

[RickR]

Rick, do you get germination with the seed?  I'm always surprised that this plant is so expensive to purchase, when they make so much seed and seem very easy to germinate and grow on.

I do have plants from the seed you sent me, Mark.  I have not tried otherwise.  The ants seem to do a fairly good job.  I find a couple J. dubia seedlings each year way away from the plant.  The J. dubia in the first pic with all the buds seems to be sterile.  It has never set seed.  Last season I even tried hand pollinating it with pollen from a different dubia, but to no avail.   It is also the one that consistently has more than the normal six of petals.

Lots of naturally planted baby J. diphylla babies beneath mom, though:

              

[McDonough]

Interesting that you have a J. dubia that is sterile, and one that produces extra petals!  All of mine are fertile and are normal in terms of petal count.  Lots of little diphylla "jeffs" in your photo.  Do you pot any of these up for your NARGS chapter sales, or is J. diphylla considered too common thus not a big "mover" in the local plant sales.  I used to be down on this plant because flowers only last a 2-3 days, but over time I've grown very fond of it for the unique foliage, intriguing seed pods, and the untapped variability; an all around great native plant.

[RickR]

In fact, the native J. diphylla is more well known among gardeners here, and since our spring sale is open to the public, we always sell out of the diphylla's.  (And I am not the only one who donates them.)  It's the dubia's that don't always sell!

Last year one of our Chapter members moved south, and donated an old J. dubia she had.  It was 2.5ft across!!! 

[Howey]

Yes Mark, I too delight in the whole development process of Jeffersonia diphylla even though the flowers are so short lived as are the native Bloodroot - Sanguinaria canadensis.  J. diphylla has been in my garden for many years and has spread itself around nicely, producing copious seeds. I acquired J. dubia as a plant last year and am happy to see the tiny purple leaves emerging - quite behind J.diphylla.  Didn't think either would succumb to the frost, which we had last night and is due to go on for a few more days.  Am almost afraid to look at it later on this morning when it gets light.  Will keep my fingers crossed.  Fran

Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canad
Zone 5b

[Hoy]

My sole Jeffersonia doesn't set any seed! I tried to get some new plants last year but they don't travel well even inland. Jeffersonia is never for sale in any common nurseries here. So if any of you guys get more seed than you need yourself I can gladly help you off with some   Regardless which species it is

[Tony Willis]

My sole Jeffersonia doesn't set any seed! I tried to get some new plants last year but they don't travel well even inland. Jeffersonia is never for sale in any common nurseries here. So if any of you guys get more seed than you need yourself I can gladly help you off with some   Regardless which species it is

At the moment I have a single plant of both species and last year they set seed. This is just germinating.

Both lots were sown the day the pods ripened which seems essential.

[McDonough]

Rick, good to learn that J. diphylla is actually appreciated at your plant society sales; though, hard to believe that the dubia plants don't always sell out!

Francis, hope your Jeffersonias are ok after the frost, they were unfazed by the freezing cold snap here.  Good that you now have both species, as J. dubia is such a delight too.

Trond, will have to send you some seed this year.

Tony, having just one plant of each species, you are fortunate to get seed and good germination on both, congratulations.

[McDonough]

To compare seedlings of bothy species.

I have multiple flats of Jeffersonia dubia germinating thickly.  I use decomposed pine bark mulch as seed cover, the flats left out to weather all winter.  They germinate so profusely that germination tends to lift the whole bark mulch "crust" up; I try to gingerly tamp it back down and poke to break the crust up, I should probably use something else for seed cover.  When I jest that I want to replace parts of my lawn with Jeffersonia, I do so with a degree of seriousness, I want a Jeffersonian lawn

Two years ago after posting photos of my seed harvest and sowing of Jeffersonia diphylla on SRGC, I received some feedback that I harvested seed too early which lessens viability of the seed, eg. harvested before peak viability.  Last summer I harvested seed as I do normally, just before pods split wide open, when the "lid" on the pipe-shaped pod will easily "pop" with the slightest squeeze, or the lid seam visibly starting to separate. Because pods ripen and pop open so fast, a half day delay can be too late and all seeds spills out (when that happens, I've been known to rout around the base of mother Jeffersonia hand picking seeds found among the leaf litter : ).  Seed is sown immediately in flats, covered thinly with soil and then a layer of pine barch mulch, kept cool and shaded and just moist through summer, left out all winter. Flats are covered with wire cloth to keep chipmunks and squirrels from digging and eating the seed.  As with easy-germinator J. dubia, my 3 flats of J. diphylla are coming up so thickly as to raise the bark mulch "crust".  Below is a photo of both species; a bit hard to see with J. diphylla, the seedlings are smaller and come up a little bit later than J. dubia, and are an earthy camouflage beige color.

Jeffersonia dubia germination:


Jeffersonia diphylla germination:

[RickR]

Last season was a let down for me and the jeffersonias.  It rained every day of the bloom season, so flowers were never picture worthy.  

This season, however, is pretty glorious!
The regular form of Jefersonia dubia:

        

And the multiple petaled plant that seems to be sterile: