Re: Re: HYB: collecting/planting seeds (was OT late bloom)

Here's something I tried with fresh seeds that definitely didn't work.  But
I only tried it once, and I've never experimented much beyond this with
fresh seeds.  I've never heard of anyone else trying this with Iris seed,
but I'll bet I'm far from the first.

Iris seeds have a loose baggy covering that looks to me like an aril,
though I don't know if it really is.  This is not the same as the "aril"
that is found on some such as the Oncos, which is a different (though
perhaps related) structure, that I would call a strophiole if it was on any
other kind of seed.  Anyway, such an outer covering is often where the
inhibitors for germination are (whether it be chemical or physical), and
sometimes removing this covering allows the seeds to germinate without
pre-treatment.  Well, in the case of Iris (at least Spurias and Bearded)
the exposed seed inside (it looked like there was still a testa there, not
just the bare embryo) simply and promptly rotted.  I got no germination.
Perhaps with a truly sterile planting medium results would have been
better, but I doubt it.

Dave

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