RE: germinating Chorizema

Margaret,

I found this information at the following web address and thought it might
be helpful.  I've read that whenever you soak seeds in boiling water, you
should use only a small amount of water (about 3 times the volume of the
seeds to be soaked.  Larger amounts of water may stay too hot for too long
and could injure the embryo inside the seed.

Susan

http://farrer.riv.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/peas.html#prop

Seed
The seed of pea-flowers is shed annually. When the seed is ripe the pods
turn brown and split to release the seeds. By keeping watch on the ripening
pods it is fairly easy to collect the seed before it is shed. In some cases,
however, the pods are attacked by insects before the seed is fully ripe and
this can result in the loss of much of the viable seed.

The seed has a hard coat which, in most cases, is impervious to water and
germination will normally not occur unless some sort of pretreatment is
first carried out. In nature this hard coating is designed to be broken down
by the heat of a bushfire to allow the species to re-colonize burnt out
areas.

This effect can be replicated in a number of ways but, for most species, the
easiest is to pour boiling water over the seeds and allow them to stand
overnight. The next day any seeds which have swollen are ready for sowing
and can be removed; the remainder of the seeds can be treated with boiling
water again and the process repeated for as long as necessary.

Another method of pretreatment is to rub the seeds between sheets of
sandpaper to reduce the thickness of the outer coating so that moisture can
penetrate.

The seed usually germinates well by conventional sowing methods in seed
raising mixes. Pre-germination, by sowing into a closed container containing
moist vermiculite or a similar material, is also a useful method. Using this
method, germination usually occurs in 1-2 weeks and when the root has
reached about a centimetre or so in length, the seedling can be placed into
a small pot of seed raising mix.


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-propagation@mallorn.com
[o*@mallorn.com]On Behalf Of Margaret Schnall
Sent: Friday, March 09, 2001 9:23 AM
To: propagation@mallorn.com
Subject: germinating Chorizema


I bought a packet of Chorizema cordatum, aka C.ilicifolium, Flame Pea,
which arrived with no germinating instructions. The plant is an evergreen
subshrub native to southwestern Australia. Any ideas?
Margaret

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