Re: How can I germinate staghorn sumac seed?
- To: <perennials@mallorn.com>
- Subject: Re: How can I germinate staghorn sumac seed?
- From: "* &* B* H* <c*@saltspring.com>
- Date: Thu, 19 Feb 1998 08:11:14 -0800
Epigeal means that the first leaves to appear are the seed
leaves(cotyledons), while hypogeal means that the seed leaves remain and
wither within the seed and the first leaves are true leaves.
Norman Deno in 'Seed Germination Theory and Practice' states that grinding
a hole thru the seed coat is necessary for germination of Rhus typhina and
R.trilobata has an impervious seed coat - sounds like acid treatment may be
used for thesae 2. R. canadensis seems to germinate sporatically over many
cold-warm cycles and rots if seed coat is penetrated.
Good luck- hope this doesn't just add to the confusion.
Brian
http://vvv.com/~amdigest/cusheon.htm
----------
> From: Marge Talt <mtalt@clark.net>
> To: perennials@mallorn.com
> Subject: Re: How can I germinate staghorn sumac seed?
> Date: Wednesday, February 18, 1998 11:07 PM
>
> I have no personal experience here, but I do have this handy-dandy book,
> "Seeds of Woody Plants in North America" by James A. young and Cheryl G.
> Young and it says the following (quoted without permission):
>
> " The fruit is a small, smooth to hairy drupe with a single bony nutlet
> lacking endosperm."
>
> "Collection, Extraction, and Storage of Seed: The fruit clusters may be
> picked by hand as soon as ripe, and often are available until late in the
> year. Fruits of smooth sumac (R. glabra) and staghorn sumac (R.
typhina),
> which occur in very dense clusters, may require drying by spreading in
> shallow layers. If collected late in the fall such drying is not
> required."
>
> "The fruits can be run through a macerator and the seeds recovered by
> flotation. Such complete cleaning is seldom practiced except for fruits
of
> skunkbush (R. trilobata). The seeds of other species are sown with the
> fruits more or less intact. "
>
> "Seeds of Rhus species store over winter without special treatment. For
> long-term storage, seeds should be dried and stored in sealed containers
at
> low temperatures."
>
> "Pregermination Treatment: Rhus seeds germinate poorly without
> pretreatment. Dormancy of most species is caused by hard, impervious
> seedcoats. Seeds of fragrant sumac (R. aromatica) and skunkbush also
have
> embryo dormancy that requires prechilling. Acid scarification or hot
water
> treatments are necessary to break the hard seedcoats."
>
> "Germination: Using scarified seeds, and prechilled seeds in the case of
> species with dormant embryos, germination can be tested with a variety of
> substrata ranging from sand to paper in petri dishes. Incubation
> temperatures that have been used are 20/30C or a constant 20C. Heit
(1967a)
> recommended that light be supplied during incubation.. Germination is
> epigeal."
>
> (I am not sure what "epigeal" means, perhaps someone can give a
definition
> here)
>
> "Nursery and Field Practice: Sumac seeds can be sown in the fall after
> scarification. They should be planted 1.25 cm deep in rows, at a rate of
> 260 viable seeds per sq. m."
>
> They also reference recent literature on the subject by author, date and
> subject. The two dealing specifically with R. typhina are:
>
> Marks 1979 - R. typhina, fire stimulation of seed germination and
> Norton 1985 - R. typhina, influence of gibberellin and prechilling on
> germination.
>
> This is probably more and less than you wanted to know, but I thought it
> might clear the air a bit on your problems with this species. Looks like
> you need to explore acid scarification! Hot water treatments might be
> easier, but I don't know what those entail. Does anyone else know how
you
> give "hot water" treatments? Does this mean soaking in boiling water?
> Hand hot water? What??
>
> Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
> mtalt@clark.net
> Editor: Gardening in Shade
> http://www.suite101.com/frontpage/frontpage.cfm?topicID=222
> Gardening Topic Index for Suite101:
> http://www.suite101.com/userfiles/79/gardening.html
>
>
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