Olsynium (douglasii)

Dave Skinner PMC Farm Manager USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center Room 211A Hulbert Hall WSU Pullman, Washington 99164-6211 509-335-9689 509-335-2940 (fax) abbie@wsu.edu http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/wapmc

---

Family Scientific Name:	Iridaceae
Family Common Name:	Iris
Scientific Name:	Olsynium douglasii (A. Dietr.) Bickn. inflatum (Suksdorf) Cholewa & Douglass M. Hend.
Common Synonym:	Sisyrinchium inflatum (Suksdorf) St. John
Common Name:	grass widows
Species Code:	OLDOI, SIIN15
Ecotype:	north of Pullman, Washington
General Distribution:	Native to open, vernally moist places from shrub-steppe to open ponderosa pine forests east of the Cascade Mountains of southern British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, extending into Idaho, Utah, and northern Nevada.
Known Invasiveness:	not invasive
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	10 cu. in.
Time To Grow:	2 Years
Target Specifications:	Tight root plug in container.
Propagule Collection:	Fruit is a capsule. Seed is reddish brown in color. Seed is collected when the capsules begin to split in July and is stored in paper bags or envelopes at room temperature until cleaned.
Propagule Processing:	Small amounts are rubbed to free the seed, then cleaned with an air column separator. Larger amounts can be threshed with a hammermill, then cleaned with air screen equipment. Clean seed is stored in controlled conditions at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 40% relative humidity. We determined 123,928 seeds/lb or 273 seeds/gram for this ecotype (USDA, NRCS, Pullman Plant Materials Center 2005).
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Extended cold, moist stratification is needed. Cool spring temperatures may also be necessary. For other species of Sisyrinchium, seed germination without pretreatment is low (Kruckeberg 1996). Germination of untreated seed of S. angustifolium in the greenhouse is fair (Link 1993). For a Palouse ecotype of S. inflatum, Nauman (2002) found 90 to 120 days of cold moist stratification resulted in high germination. She also reported that seed germinates in cold temperatures during stratification. In trials at the Pullman Plant Materials Center, no germination occurred without stratification and no seed germinated after 30 days cold, moist stratification. High germination was obtained from seeds sown in containers in November and left outside under cool, fluctuating spring temperatures. Germination occurred at cool temperatures. Some seed will germinate after a second winter outdoors.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	In late October or early November seedis sown in 10 cu. in. Ray Leach Super cell conetainers filled with Sunshine #4 and covered lightly. A thin layer of coarse grit is applied to the top of the planting soil to prevent seeds from floating during watering. Conetainers are watered deeply and placed outside.
Establishment Phase:	Containers remain outside. They are watered only during dry spells. Germination will begin as daytime temperatures warm in March, and may occur over 2-4 weeks.
Length of Establishment Phase:	2-4 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Plants are watered as needed while outside and fertilized once a week with a water soluble, complete fertilizer. They are moved to the lath house in early May. Plants will not grow beyond the 2 true leaf stage the first season. They will often senesce in the early to mid summer. Senescent plants are given only enough water to prevent the medium from drying completely. Plants are grown in containers for a second season in the lath house, then transplanted to the field in late fall while dormant.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	2 seasons
Hardening Phase:	Since the plants are grown outside, additional hardening is not needed.
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Plants are stored in the lath house over winter. They should be afforded some protection from extreme cold temperatures. Mulch or foam sheets provide sufficient protection. The protection should be removed in late winter or early spring as temperatures begin to rise.
Other Comments:	No insect or disease problems have been noted. Plants may be propagated by division (Kruckeberg 1996). This method should only be used for plants growing in cultivation. Plants should not be dug up from stands in the wild.
References:	Craighead, John J., Frank C. Craighead, and Ray J. Davis. 1963. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, MA. 277 pp. Daubenmire, R.F. 1970. Steppe Vegetation of Washington. Washington State Univ. Coop. Ext. Service EB 1446. Pullman, WA. Faust, Ralph and Peggy Faust. 1999. Wildflowers of the Inland Northwest. Museum of North Idaho. Coeur d'Alene, ID. 141 pp. Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico. 7+ vols. New York and Oxford. Oxford University Press. Online at http://www.fna.org/FNA/ Hitchcock, C. Leo, Arthur Cronquist, Marion Ownbey, and J.W. Thompson. 1969. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Volume 1, Vascular Cryptogams, Gymnosperms, and Monocotyledons. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. Hitchcock, C. Leo, and Arthur Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. 730 pp. Kruckeberg, Arthur R. 1996. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. 2nd ed. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. 282 pp. Larrison, Earl J., Grace W. Patrick, William H. Baker, and James A. Yaich. 1974. Washington Wildflowers. The Seattle Audubon Society. Seattle, WA. 376 pp. Link, Ellen (ed.). 1993. Native Plant Propagation Techniques for National Parks Interim Guide. USDA SCS Rose Lake Plant Materials Center and USDI National Park Service. East Lansing, Michigan. 240 pp. Lyons, C.P. 1997. Wildflowers of Washington. Lone Pine Publishing, Renton, WA. 192 pp. Nauman, C. 2002. Germination of 12 Palouse Prairie forbs after stratification under light and dark treatments. M.S. Thesis, University of Idaho, Moscow ID. Piper, C.V., and R.K. Beattie. 1914. The Flora of Southeastern Washington and Adjacent Idaho. Lancaster, PA. Press of the New Era Printing Company. 296 p. Rickett, Harold W. 1973. Wildflowers of the United States: The Central Mountains and Plains. Vol. 6. (3 parts). McGraw Hill, New York. St. John, Harold. 1963. Flora of Southeastern Washington and of Adjacent Idaho. 3rd edition. Outdoor Pictures. Escondido, CA. 583 pp. Taylor, Ronald J. 1992. Sagebrush Country. Mountain Press Publishing Co. Missoula, MT. 211 pp. USDA ARS National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: http://www.ars-grin.gov2/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?448068 (20 February 2008). USDA, NRCS, Pullman Plant Materials Center. 2005. Seed Weights of Some Palouse Native Species. Pullman Plant Materials Center, Pullman, Washington. Online at http://www.wsu.edu/~pmc_nrcs/Docs/Seed_Weights_Palouse_Native_Species.pdf USDA, NRCS. 2008. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 20 February 2008). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Citation:

Skinner, David M,. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Olsynium douglasii (A. Dietr.) Bickn. plants 10 cu. in.; USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center Pullman, Washington. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/07/02). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.