California Native Plant Seeds -- Propagation begins!

I've been busy starting seeds! October is a good time to start a lot of seeds, except for the winter dormant ones -- the ones you have to stick in the fridge three months to convince them winter is over! Those are better done in Feb-March. I'm so happy! Some are already germinating!

I'll write more informative posts about all the stuff I'm starting by and by. This is just a seed-fest!

With the exception of the pipe vine - all seeds are of local California natives that grow on our around our property on a ridge about 6 miles inland from Santa Cruz.

Check out seeds of Aristolochia californica, Dutchman's pipe vine, which I blogged about in my last post - bagging the seed pods worked out great!


Aristolochia californica, Dutchman's pipe vine. My first time to try growing this one from seed.

Aristolochia californica, Dutchman's pipe vine seeds are so strange!.


Aristolochia californica, Dutchman's pipe vine seed - so strange I cut it up to check if it was a seed or just a husk. Also I checked in Jepson and it seems like yup it's a seed!

Speaking of propagation, I wrote an article for the Sentinel about propagation, as in who propagates the plants for the sale, as publicity for the Santa Cruz County chapter of CNPS and the UC Santa Cruz arboretum fall plant sales, which were today!


Aquilegia formosa, western columbine. This is an older photo - I just love how shiny the seeds are.


Iris fernaldii, Fernald's iris. Don't you love the look of those seeds?


Castilleja affinis or foliosa not sure. Paintbrush. Very tricky to propagate! My first time trying.


Symphyotrichum chilensis, California aster. Hard to clean! I didn't bother too much.


A tray of different lupines. Soaked overnight - boil water and let cool for a little bit - less than a minute maybe - then pour over seeds.

A lot of Carex species - sedges. I'm totally mixed up about them and am looking forward to using Jepson when they grow up to properly ID them. Maybe some are round-fruit sedge? Carex are noted as difficult to ID so I don't feel so bad!


Juncus patens I think, common rush. Lovely rust-red tiny seeds.


A gathering mystery. I totally forget what they are. Even the CNPS face book page folk didn't have much clue. Someone said it's Asteraceae family. We'll see - it's germinating like mad already. I hope it isn't a weed!



The lovely glossy leaves of hedge nettle, Stachys bullata, which is not a nettle. It's a mint and lovely. 


Madia seeds - either M. gracilis or M. elegans, I got a bit mixed up. I love these too - they are slightly speckled. 


Epilobium canum, California fuchsia, fluffy seeds packed into their slender capsules or pods or whatever the right name is. 


And this was the first seed out the gate!! - Lupinus arboreus, lavender color.

Comments

chezron said…
Really brilliant post! We NEED this information! Please let us know what the unknown Asteraceae is. Grasses are weird to germinate, and when I did germinate them they came up at odd times and sporadically. This may not be your experience. Have you seen the seed photos from Rancho Santa Ana? Gorgeous. You gave me Madia a few years ago--thanks again. Sharon
Country Mouse said…
Thanks, Sharon - I've been in a couple discussions about getting more seed pictures and seedling pictures available for people to search and use. I think I've seen the Rancho Santa Ana ones - it's a huge database, isn't it? But I don't know if they have a gallery of images you can just scroll down - do they? What would be great would be to be able to have a visual like that that you could sort and search different ways. Maybe it's there and I missed it. I'm starting a few grasses as well as the sedges. Sedges I've not had huge success with except Carex bolanderi. The few grasses I've tried are fairly good - but then they do grow around here so they must like it here! Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment!
Diana Studer said…
I take the lazy way and harvest volunteers. Today we moved two 'saplings' of Chrysanthemoides monilifera. Once they've recovered from being transplanted they should be happy - since they seeded themselves and flourished.
My tiny sedges are also volunteers, harvested from around the garden.
Country Mouse said…
I like taking volunteers too, Diana. Trouble is there are more volunteers off the property than on at this stage (large sections are just weedy grasses still), and I don't have the right to dig up other people's plants, or not often. Also I just love seeds and seedlings! But it IS a lot of work. And even though every time I say I'm not going to start too many seeds, I'm like an addict - I just don't know when to stop!
Ed Morrow said…
Stuck here in New York (freeze warnings for tonight), I am deeply envious of your ability (and facility) to get started on next years crop of California natives. I can not wait to get back to Carmel Valley and get going on all the lupine seeds I collected last summer. With the water promised for this winter we will have a glorious Spring - if we don't get washed away in the meantime. Keep on germinating!
Ed Morrow
Carmel Valley
Ed Morrow said…
Stuck here in New York (freeze warnings for tonight), I am deeply envious of your ability (and facility) to get started on next years crop of California natives. I can not wait to get back to Carmel Valley and get going on all the lupine seeds I collected last summer. With the water promised for this winter we will have a glorious Spring - if we don't get washed away in the meantime. Keep on germinating!
Ed Morrow
Carmel Valley
Country Mouse said…
Hi Ed, sorry about your location - only as far as gardening goes. I've never been to New York and would like to visit sometime. I have quite a few lupines germinating and ready to prick out now - mostly L. arboreus which germinated lustily and with great vigor! I'll post about it soon - and I hope you'll let me know how it goes for you when you get back to your garden.