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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

Linum (lewisii)

Andrea Kramer
Conservation Scientist
Chicago Botanic Garden - Research
1000 Lake Cook Road
Glencoe, Illinois 60022
847-835-6971
akramer@chicagobotanic.org
http://www.chicagobotanic.org
Family Scientific Name: Linaceae
Scientific Name: Linum lewisii
Common Name: Lewis flax
Species Code: LILE3
Ecotype: Maple Grove cultivar
Propagation Goal: Seeds
Propagation Method: Seed
ProductType: Propagules (seeds, cutings, poles, etc.)
Pre-Planting Treatments: APPROACH: This project aimed to determine optimal germination conditions for species currently used in restoration in the Colorado Plateau, as well as other priority forb species that may be beneficial to include in future restoration efforts. For this study, seeds were plated on 1.5% agar in petri dishes (4 replicates of 25 seeds per treatment) and incubated in growth chambers at Chicago Botanic Garden using six temperature treatments intended to represent different seed sowing times and locations in the Colorado Plateau (treatments are shown as day/night temperatures respectively, using a 12h/12h light/dark cycle):

TREATMENTS:
1) early-spring (4 weeks at 52°F/34°F)
2) winter (12 weeks at 34°F) and early-spring (4 weeks at 52°F/34°F)
3) mid-spring (4 weeks at 59°F/41°F)
4) winter (12 weeks at 34°F) and mid-spring (4 weeks 59°F/41°F)
5) late-spring (4 weeks at 68°F/50°F)
6) winter (12 weeks at 34°F) and late-spring (4 weeks 68°F/50°F)
Establishment Phase: RESULTS: Almost all viable seeds from this cultivar (Maple Grove) germinated to 100% in all six treatments. The only treatment with less than 75% germination was treatment 5 (late-spring (4 weeks at 68°F/50°F)), where average germination was 60%. This suggests that seeding in warm conditions where the temperature does not drop below 50°F at night will lower the percent of seeds that will germinate. Additional research is needed to determine the extent to which these results are characteristic of the species. The figure at http://tinyurl.com/CBGSeedGerminationLILE shows the average percent germination and standard deviation of viable seeds for each treatment.

Citation:

Kramer, Andrea T; Foxx, Alicia. 2016. Propagation protocol for production of Propagules (seeds, cutings, poles, etc.) Linum lewisii Seeds Chicago Botanic Garden - Research Glencoe, Illinois. 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.