Oxytropis (splendens)

Tara Luna USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana 59936 (406) 888-7835 http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/azpmc

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Family Scientific Name:	Fabaceae
Family Common Name:	Pea family
Scientific Name:	Oxytropis splendens Dougl.
Common Name:	Showy crazyweed
Species Code:	OXYSPL
Ecotype:	Fescue grassland, 4500 elev., Saint Mary
General Distribution:	O. splendens occurs from Alaska to New Mexico; chiefly on the east slope of the Rocky Mountains; and east to Ontario and Minnesota.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	160 ml conetainers
Time To Grow:	6 Months
Target Specifications:	Height: 6 true leaves, 4 cm<br> Caliper: n/a<br> Root System: firm plug in conetainer.
Propagule Collection:	Seeds are hand collected in early September when the legumes dry and begin to dehisce. Seeds are black at maturity. Pods are collected in paper bags and kept in a well ventilated drying shed prior to cleaning.
Propagule Processing:	Seeds are threshed with a hammermill followed by office clipper at NRCS. Seed longevity: will retain viability for 5 to 10 years at 1 to 3C in sealed containers. Seed dormancy is classified as physical dormancy. Seeds/Kg: 594,000/kg % Purity: 100% % Germination: 90 to 100%
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Seeds are scarified by a brief 5 to 10 second hot water bath, and immediately transferred to cold water to imbibe for 24 hours. Seeds are cold, moist stratified for 30 days. 5 year old seeds germinated to 100%. Inoculation of imbibed seeds with Rhizobium enhances growth and development of seedling.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Greenhouse and outdoor nursery growing facility. Sowing Method: Direct Seeding. Seeds are covered with medium. Growing medium used is 70% 6:1:1 milled sphagnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite and 30% 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 172 ml conetainer. Greenhouse temperatures are maintained at 21 to 25C during the day and 16 to 18C at night. Seedlings are hand watered an remain in greenhouse until mid May. Seedlings are then moved to outdoor nursery for the remainder of the growing season. 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.
Establishment Phase:	Seedlings emerge 2 weeks after sowing. After seedlings are established, they must dry down between irrigations.
Length of Establishment Phase:	4 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Seedlings produce 4 to 6 truw leaves 8 weeks after germination. Seedlings are fertlized with 20-10-20 liquid NPK at 100 ppm weekly during active growth.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	12 weeks
Hardening Phase:	Plants are fertilized with 10-20-20 liquid NPK at 200 ppm during August and September. Irrigation is gradually reduced in September and October. Plants were given one final irrigation prior to winterization.
Length of Hardening Phase:	4 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Total Time To Harvest:6 months Harvest Date: September Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor nursery under insulating foam and snow cover.
Length of Storage:	5 months
Other Comments:	Vegetative Propagation Method: Divisions, not tried. Ramet divisions from established nursery stock.
References:	Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, Univ. of Washington Press, 7th printing,1973. Glacier Park Native Plant Nursery Growth Records, unpublished. Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Edition, Deno, N., publ. June, 1993. Seeding Rate Statistics for Native and Introduced Species, N.P.S. and N.R.C.S., Denver Service Center, Hassell, W., April 1996. Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, Baskin and Baskin, Academic Press, 1998.

Citation:

Evans, Jeff; Wick, Dale. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Oxytropis splendens Dougl. plants 160 ml conetainers; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/02/25). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.