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The Forest Service National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources (RNGR) is a leading source of technical information for nurseries and land managers regarding production and planting of trees and other native plants for reforestation, restoration, and conservation.

 
NPN Protocol Details Image

Prenanthes (sagittata)

Tara Luna
USDI NPS - Glacier National Park
West Glacier, Montana 59936
(406) 888-7835
http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/azpmc
Family Scientific Name: Asteraceae
Family Common Name: Sunflower family
Scientific Name: Prenanthes sagittata (Gray) Nels.
Common Name: Arrow-leaf rattlesnake-root
Species Code: PRESAG
Ecotype: Open slopes, Glacier National Park, MT.
General Distribution: P. sagitatta occurs in moist, often shaded locations, from Alaska and Alberta to western Montana and northern Idaho.
Propagation Goal: plants
Propagation Method: seed
ProductType: Container (plug)
Stock Type: 172 ml conetainers
Time To Grow: 9 Months
Target Specifications: Height: 6 to 8 true leaves, 7 cm<br> Caliper: n/a<br> Root System: firm plug in 172 ml conetainer with well developed taproot.
Propagule Collection: Seeds are hand collected in early October when achenes turn grey and are easily removed from the disc. Seeds are collected in paper bags and kept in a well ventilated drying shed prior to cleaning.
Propagule Processing: Small seed lots are hand rubbed over screensto reove pappus and chaff.
Seed longevity is unknown.
Seed dormancy is classified as physiological dormancy.
Seeds/Kg: 2,600,000/kg approx.
% Purity: 100%
% Germination: 50%
Pre-Planting Treatments: 5 month outdoor cold, moist stratification. A minimum of 150 day cold, moist stratification is recommended for other species in this genus.
Growing Area Preparation/
Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:		 Outdoor nursery growing facility.
Sowing Method: Direct Seeding. Germination was higher when seeds were surface sown vs. seeds that were covered with medium or grit.
Growing medium used is 70% milled sphagnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite and 30% washed sand with Osmocote controlled release fertilizer (13N:13P2O5:13K2O; 8 to 9 month release rate at 21C) and Micromax fertilizer (12%S, 0.1%B, 0.5%Cu, 12%Fe, 2.5%Mn, 0.05%Mo, 1%Zn) at the rate of 1 gram of Osmocote and 0.20 gram of Micromax per conetainer.

Conetainers are filled and sown in late fall and irrigated thoroughly prior to winter stratification.
Establishment Phase: Medium is kept slightly moist during germination. Seedlings germinate in spring under fluctuating outdoor temperatures and are grown under full sun exposure.
Seedlings are irrigated with Rainbird automatic irrigation system in early morning until containers are thoroughly leached.
Average growing season of nursery is from late April after snowmelt until October 15th.
Initial germination appeared uniform.
Seedlings were thinned at the true leaf stage. After seedlings are well established, they must dry down slightly between irrigations.
Length of Establishment Phase: 6 weeks
Active Growth Phase: Root and shoot development occurs rapidly following germination.
Plants were fertilized with 20-20-20 liquid NPK fertilizer at 100 ppm during the growing season.
Plants were fully root tight 7 weeks after germination. Plants were 3 to 4 cm in height with 6 to 8 true leaves. This is a taprooted species; the root increased to 1 cm in diameter by late September.
Some individuals were flowering 4 months after germination.
Length of Active Growth Phase: 8 weeks
Hardening Phase: Irrigation is gradually reduced in September and October. Plants are flushed with clear water and fertilized with 10-20-20 liquid NPK fertilizer at 200 ppm once before winterization.
Length of Hardening Phase: 4 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: Total Time To Harvest: 9.5 months
Harvest Date: September
Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor nursery under insulating foam cover and snow.
Length of Storage: 5 months
References: Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, 7th edition, University of Washington Press, 1973.
Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, Baskin and Baskin, Academic Press, 1998.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice,Deno, Norman, Penn State University, 1993.
Glacier National Park Native Plant Nursery Propagation Records, unpublished.

Citation:

Luna, Tara; Evans, Jeff; Wick, Dale. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Prenanthes sagittata (Gray) Nels. plants 172 ml conetainers; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/02/24). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.