Re: Seeds from "Snow Gum"

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• To: m*@ucdavis.edu
• Subject: Re: Seeds from "Snow Gum"
• From: J* A* <j*@tiny.mech.eng.usyd.edu.au>
• Date: Tue, 4 Nov 1997 12:33:01 +1100

At 08:00 AM 11/3/97 -0500, Matt Trahan wrote:

> I was given 9 pinhead size seeds that a friend said was from Snow Gum or
>(their spelling) Eucalyptus Niphophylla.

Current nomencluture is E pauciflora subspecies niphophylla, I believe. (Not
sure of the spelling either!)

> He also mentioned that it would be
>nice if he could figure out how to germinate them.  sigh.
>SGAP mention several suggestions from fire to smoke water to simple
>abration. 

No!!  Snowgums grow at high altitudes and don't usually have to worry about
bushfires.  (When they do get one, they suffer badly.)  And abrasion, though
appropriate for many Australian plants, is not for eucalypts and other
Myrtaceae -- their seeds don't have a hard coating and are too small anyway.

>Could anyone suggest which would be the correct method or combination?

Snowgums drop their seeds in autumn but (unlike many eucalypts) they do not
germinate till the following spring.  Apparently a period of below-freezing
temperatures is necessary to get them started.  I believe that experiments
have shown that storing them at low temperatures for several weeks does in
fact improve germination very markedly.

> I live in USDA zone 8, min temps 13-18 degrees farenheight. Should I
>consider doing this outside? Our temps are running 55-70 highs and 35-50
>lows right now. Should have first frost any day now.

I think you could well plant them now in little pots outside and expect them
to germinate in the spring.  Alternatively, put them in the freezer for a
while and plant them when it's starting to warm up again.  If you've only
got 9 seeds, the latter would be safer I think.

Good luck

John

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