Penstemon (comarrhenus)
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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 |
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| Family Scientific Name: | Plantaginaceae | ||
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| Scientific Name: | Penstemon comarrhenus | ||
| Common Name: | dusty beardtongue | ||
| Species Code: | PECO | ||
| Ecotype: | Source Identified from Uncompahgre Partnership | ||
| 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) then 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) then mid-spring (59°F/41°F) 5) late-spring (4 weeks at 68°F/50°F) 6) winter (12 weeks at 34°F) then late-spring (68°F/50°F) RESULTS: Viable seeds from this Seeds of Success collection from Emery County, Utah only germinated in treatments that imposed 12 weeks of winter conditions (treatments 2, 4, 6). Of these, nearly 100% of viable seeds germinated in treatment 2, while around 75% germinated in treatment 4, and only 25% in treatment 6. Treatments without winter conditions (treatments 1, 3, 5) had no germination (0%). This suggests that seeding during late winter or early spring will not provide sufficient dormancy breaking to allow seeds to germinate. Additional research is needed to confirm the specific length of winter conditions needed to break dormancy and allow germination, and to determine how representative these results are of the entire species. The figure at http://tinyurl.com/CBGSeedGermMEAL shows the average percent germination and standard deviation of viable seeds for each treatment. |
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| Establishment Phase: | RESULTS: Viable seeds from this Source Identified collection from the Uncompahgre Partnership in Colorado only germinated to high levels in treatments that imposed 12 weeks of winter conditions (treatments 2, 4, 6). Of these, nearly 75% of viable seeds germinated in all treatments. Treatments without winter conditions (treatments 1, 3, 5) had little to no germination (0 to 12%). This suggests that seeding during late winter or early spring will not provide sufficient dormancy breaking to allow seeds to germinate. Additional research is needed to confirm the specific length of winter conditions needed to break dormancy and allow germination, and to determine how representative these results are of the entire species. | ||
Citation:
Kramer, Andrea T; Foxx, Alicia. 2016. Propagation protocol for production of Propagules (seeds, cutings, poles, etc.) Penstemon comarrhenus 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.
