Seed Starting Chronicles - 2016

Some more eager ones:

Astragalus alatavicus - germ started after 5 days at room temp after scarifying; seed wild-coll by A. Naumenko,Kazakhstan, Tien-Shan, Jety-Jol range.

Dracocephalum bipinnatum - strong germ after 5 days at room temp;  seed from A. Naumenko, ex-Kyrgyzstan, Tien-Chan, Issyk-Kul lake

Scutellaria transiliensis - germ started after 6 days at room temp; seed wild-coll by A. Naumenko in 2014,Kazakhstan, Zailijski Alatau, Kyrgauldy valley. "Prostrate plant with serrated gray leaves and numerous yellow flowers with purple spots. It grows in sunny dry slopes."

Acantholimon tianshcanicus - germ started at room temp after 9 days*; seeds wild-coll by V. Holubec in 2015 (Kyrgyzstan: Alai Mts, 3700 m).

Erigeron aurantiaca - germinated at room temp after 9 days*; seeds wild-coll by V. Holubec in 2013 (Kyrgyzstan: Chon Kemin, Kungei AT, 2700 m, alpine grassland.

Oreoblastus flabellatus - strong germ at room temp after 9 days*; seed wild-coll by A. Naumenko, Kyrgyzstan, Pamiralai, Trans Alai range.

Rheum spiciforme - strong germ at room temp after 9 days*; seed wild-coll by V. Holubec, Tajikistan: Trans Alai, Lenin Pk, 3500 m, mountain grassland.

Scutellaria mesostegia - germ started at room temp after 9 days*; seed from A. Naumenko,  Ex-Kyrgyzstan, Tien-Shan, Kyrgyz range.

Zinnia grandiflora - garden-collected seed; strong germination at room temp, starting at 2 days from sowing.

* - However, having been away for 4 days, germination may have been earlier.

Some of the babies got moved out to the greenhouse today, to harden off under shade cloth.  

Note that those that are etoliated (stretched out) from having grown indoors under fluorescent lights will rapidly tighten up when they are planted out (after being hardened off).  This old thread shows how etoliated seedlings take on their characteristic forms once exposed to outdoor rock garden conditions:   https://www.nargs.org/forum/just-sort-interesting

For scale, all the pots are 2 1/4" cross-bottom pots, except for one 3 1/4" re-used commercial pot.

Artemisia viridis Willd. - strong germination after 5 days at room temperature; seeds wild-collected by A. Naumenko, Tadjikistan, Pamir, Maisara Pass.

Phlomoides speciosa (formerly Eremostachys speciosa) - germination at room temperature in 8 days; seeds wild-collected by V. Holubec, Kyrgyzstan: Chon Kemin, Kungei AT, 1900 m, mountain steppe.

Dracocephalum bipinnatum:

Christollea pamirica:

Leontopodium ochroleucum:

Erigeron cabulicus:

Syncalathium souliei:

Oxytropis columbina:

Patrinia intermedia:

Gypsophila capituliflora:

Acantholimon tianshanicus:

Rindera tetraspis:

Scutellaria mesostegia:

Lindelofia stylosa:

Oreoblastus flabellata - germination in 9-13 days at room temperature; wild-coll by A. Naumenko, Kyrgyzstan, Pamiralai, Trans Alai range.

Acantholimon pamiricum:

Chorispora macropoda - germination after 25 days at room termperature;  seed wild-coll by V. Holubec, Kyrgyzstan: Trans Alai, Lenin Pk, 3800 m, cold limestone scree

Ephedra fedtschenkoae - starting germ after 4 days at room temp; seeds wild-collected by A. Naumenko, Tadjikistan, Pamir, Bulun-Kul lake.

Eremostachys isochila:

Didymophysa fedtschenkoana:

Zinnia grandiflora:

Rheum spiciforme:

Astragalus alatavicus:

Unknown apparent Fabaceae (from the seeds and the plant apearance) - seeds came as Lagochilus seravschanicus (which is a Lamiaceae). 

Erigeron ursinus:

Melica jacquemontii:

Scutellaria transiliensis:

Astragalus beketowii:

Senecio fremontii spp. fremontii, locally-native scree plant:

Lori, you always find rare and obscure plant species, has me looking them up which is fun to do, although I do know the last one pictured (the Senecio). I'm hoping you have success getting a few seedlings of Saponaria cypria.

I cold stratified the Saponaria cypria for about seven weeks and just pulled them out the other day, so I'm hoping there will be germination soon. 

As usual, the exotic species are mainly from seed purchased from the Czech seed collectors.

Camassia leichtlinii.  These are from old NARGS seed ex seed, collected in 2011.  I started them in mid Feb 2015 between barely moist paper towels. I was trying to mimic the initial water vapor treatment that Kew uses sometimes with seed.  Since this was old seed, I thought the more gentle hydration was a good idea.  After 2 weeks (70F), seven f the 13 seeds were chipped.  A few extra drops of water and back in the little plastic bag. 40F for 3 months.  No germination.  So out they came to 70F, and a red/brown mold permeated the paper towels in a month or two, but all unchipped seed and most chipped seed were unaffected.  New paper towels.  At ten months the mold had returned with the chipped seed, but not the unchipped seed towel.  The chipped seed had begun to rot.  Now, mid March 2016, all chipped seed and one unchipped seed are rotted, and three of the five remaining unchipped seed have germinated.

I forgot to adjust the white balance on my camera, so things seem a bit chlorotic.....

Antirrhinum molle - emerged in 9 days at 70F.

Carlina acaulis caulescens - emerged in 7days at 70F.

Festuca sp. dwarf - seed from Panayoti Kelaidis, emerged in 7days at 70F.

Phemeranthus brevifolius - emerged in 7 days at 70F.

Physochlaina orientalis - emerged in 10 days at 70F.

Pyrethrum karelinii - seed collected in Tajikistan. Emerged in 6 days at 70F.