Papaver (pygmaeum)

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:	Papaveraceae
Family Common Name:	Poppy family
Scientific Name:	Papaver pygmaeum Rydb.
Common Name:	Alpine glacier poppy
Species Code:	PAPPYG
Ecotype:	Alpine moraine, Glacier National Park, Glacier Co., MT.
General Distribution:	P. pygmaeum occurs in Waterton National Park, Alberta and Glacier National Park, Montana. It inhabits talus and scree slopes, often where near permanent snow field at high elevations.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	160 ml conetainers
Time To Grow:	8 Months
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Container seedlings<br> Height: 6 to 10 true leaves, 2.0 cm<br> Caliper: n/a<br> Root System: firm plug in conetainer.
Propagule Collection:	Seeds are hand collected in late August when porocidal capsules turn brown and seeds are easily shaken out of capsules. Seeds are black at maturity. Seeds are kept in paper bags in a well ventilated drying shed prior to cleaning.
Propagule Processing:	Seeds are hand cleaned. Seed longevity is unknown. Seed dormancy is classified as morpho-physiological dormancy. % Purity: 100% % Germination: 10%
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Seeds of Papaver have rudimentary embryos at time of dispersal. Dry storage of seeds for 3 months prior to stratification appears to be an effective treatment to overcome this dormancy type; though germination percentages have remained very low for in 3 years of growing trials at Glacier. Some seeds germinate during the second summer after sowing. Seed Treatments: 5 month outdoor cold, moist stratification. Seeds that failed to germinate were treated with 5 mont cold, 5 month warm and 5 month cold, moist stratification.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Outdoor nursery growing facility. Sowing Method: Direct Seeding. Seeds are lightly covered with medium. Growing medium used is 6:1:1 milled spaghnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite 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 arefilled and sown in late fall and irrigated thoroughly prior to winter stratification. 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.
Establishment Phase:	Medium is kept slightly moist during germination. Initial germination is non uniform and occurs over several weeks when temperatures are 21C F or above during the day. After seedlings are established, they must dry down between irrigations.
Length of Establishment Phase:	4 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Root and shoot development occurs rapidly following germination. This species produces a long extensive taproot. Plants produce 6 to 10 true leaves in a tight rosette 8 weeks following germination. Plants were fully root tight 3 months after germination. Plants form flowers the following year.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	12 weeks
Hardening Phase:	Irrigation is gradually reduced in September and October. Plants were given one final irrigation prior to winterization.
Length of Hardening Phase:	8 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Total Time To Harvest:8 months Harvest Date: September Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor nursery under insulating foam cover and snow.
Length of Storage:	5 months
Other Comments:	P. pygmaeum is a short lived alpine perennial that is a regional endemic. It is considered to be a separate taxon from P. radicatum, which is circumboreal in the alpine zone and occurs further north in Alberta and south of Glacier in the Rocky Mountains to Colorado and Utah.
References:	Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, 7th edition, University of Washington Press, 1973. Seeding Rate Statistics for Native and Introduced Species, Hassell, Wendel, U.S.D.I. and U.S.D.A., April 1996. 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) Papaver pygmaeum Rydb. plants 160 ml conetainers; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. 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.