Microsteris (gracilis)

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:	Polemoniaceae
Family Common Name:	Phlox
Scientific Name:	Microsteris gracilis (Hook.) Greene
Common Synonym:	Phlox gracilis (Hook.) Greene
Common Name:	pink microsteris, slender phlox
Species Code:	MIGR
Ecotype:	Paradise Creek drainage near Pullman, Washington.
General Distribution:	Common and abundant in dry to mesic grasslands and open forest of western North America from Alaska to California, east to Montana, Nebraska, and New Mexico, extending into South America. Wetland indicator status is FACU (US Fish and Wildlife Service 1988).
Known Invasiveness:	not invasive
Propagation Goal:	seeds
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Propagules (seeds, cuttings, poles, etc.)
Time To Grow:	8 Months
Propagule Collection:	Fruit is a capsule. Seed is brown in color. Seed is collected when the capsules begin to split in June and is stored in paper bags or envelopes at room temperature until cleaned. Because the plants flower indeterminately and the capsules dehisce forcefully upon ripening, collecting seed is difficult and time-consuming. The seed must be collected as it ripens but before the capsules dehisce. Plants can be cut and dried under cover on tarps or in bags. Small amounts can be dried in paper bags at room temperature with the top of the bag covered with open weave cloth. Larger amounts are dried on tarps in a greenhouse or shed. Plants are covered with garden row cover to prevent seed loss. Fans can be used to assure good air circulation. We determined 292,080 seeds/lb or 644 seeds/gram for this ecotype (USDA, NRCS, Pullman Plant Materials Center 2005).
Propagule Processing:	Most of the seed will shatter in the bag or on the tarp. Plant parts are discarded and the seed collected from the bottom of the bag or tarp. Very little seed is left in the inflorescence and recovering it is not worth the time and effort required. Small amounts are cleaned with an air column separator. Larger amounts are cleaned with air screen equipment. Clean seed is stored in controlled conditions at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 40% relative humidity.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Seed requires 1-2 weeks of cold moist stratification to germinate. Germination will occur at cold temperatures. Seeds planted in containers and placed outside for 30 days of cold, moist stratification began emerging the day after being moved into the greenhouse. Container planted untreated seed did not germinate in the greenhouse. Replicated germination trials were also conducted at the Pullman PMC. Seed placed on wetted germination paper in petri dishes in a refrigerator at 38-40oF began germinating after 2 weeks while still in the refrigerator. Cold germination ultimately reached 94%. Only 13% of seeds germinated in petri dishes held at ambient room temperature. After 40 days, the ungerminated seeds were moved to the refrigerator and began germinating after 6 days in cold temperatures. Cold germination ultimately reached 95%. The petri dishes were exposed to ambient room light and indirect sunlight, but light is not believed to be a factor in germination. Seed sown covered in containers germinated at high rates. Seed sown covered in the field in November began emerging in early March and established at a high rate.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	M. gracilis is an annual. In the fall, seed is sown at a rate of 30-40 seeds/linear foot. Seedings should be made in a firm, weed-free seedbed. A firm seed bed holds moisture near the surface of the soil and assures accurate seed placement. Seed should be placed so that it is barely covered by soil.
Establishment Phase:	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:	Weeds are controlled by hand. No fertilizer is needed. Plants are not irrigated. Plants begin flowering in mid-May. Seed ripening and senescence is complete by mid June.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	3-4 months
Other Comments:	2 varieties are commonly recognized, var. humilior and var. gracilis. Both are sometimes treated at the subspecies level. Gilia gracilis is an older synomym. No insect problems have been noted. Plants growing in unusually wet spring weather conditions or moist microclimates are subject to powdery mildew. Plants produce prodigious amounts of seed and reseed themselves readily. Seed stored in controlled conditions at 40o Fahrenheit and 40% relative humidity for 9 years retained germination in excess of 90%.
References:	Daubenmire, R.F. 1970. Steppe Vegetation of Washington. Washington State Univ. Coop. Ext. Service EB 1446. Pullman, WA. Hitchcock, C. Leo, and Arthur Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. 730 pp. Jolley, Russ. 1988. Wildflowers of the Columbia Gorge. Oregon Historical Society Press. Portland, OR. 332pp. Larrison, Earl J., Grace W. Patrick, William H. Baker, and James A. Yaich. 1974. Washington Wildflowers. The Seattle Audubon Society. Seattle, WA. 376 pp. Parish, Roberta, Ray Coupe, and Dennis Lloyd (eds.). 1996. Plants of Southern Interior British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing, Vancouver, BC, Canada. 463 pp. 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. 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 (4 March 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, 4 March 2008). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. US Fish and Wildlife Service. 1988. National list of vascular plant species that occur in wetlands. US Fish & Wildlife Service Biological Report 88 (24).

Citation:

Skinner, David M,. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Propagules (seeds, cuttings, poles, etc.) Microsteris gracilis (Hook.) Greene seeds 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.