Dodecatheon (pulchellum)

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

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Family Scientific Name:	Primulaceae
Family Common Name:	Primrose
Scientific Name:	Dodecatheon pulchellum (Raf.) Merr.
Common Synonym:	Dodecatheon pauciflorum Greene
Common Name:	Darkthroat shooting star
Species Code:	DOPU
Ecotype:	Paradise Creek drainage near Pullman, Washington.
General Distribution:	Western North America from Alaska to California and east to New Mexico and Manitoba. In eastern Washington it is usually found in vernally moist, open prairies and meadows to Ponderosa pine woods. Mean annual precipitation range is from 12-30 inches (USDA NRCS 2006). Wetland indicator status is FACW (US Fish and Wildlife Service 1988).
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	10 cu. in.
Time To Grow:	3 Years
Target Specifications:	A tight root plug may not be attainable with this small statured species.
Propagule Collection:	Seeds are collected when the capsules begin to split in June. Seed is brown in color and small. Seed is stored in paper bags or envelopes at room temperature until cleaned.
Propagule Processing:	Capsules are easily crushed and seed cleaned with an air column separator.Clean seed is stored at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 40% relative humidity.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Extended cold, moist stratification is needed. Cool spring temperatures may also be necessary. In trials at the PMC, no germination occurred without stratification and no seed germinated after 30 days cold, moist stratification. Seed planted in containers in November and left outside began emerging in late March and reached 65% by late April. Seed of Dodecatheon meadia requires 2 months of cool, moist stratification (Greene & Curtis 1950).
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	In early November seed is sown in 10 cu. in. Ray Leach Super cells filled with Sunshine #4 and covered lightly. A thin layer of pea gravel is applied to prevent seeds from floating. Conetainers are watered deeply and placed outside.
Establishment Phase:	Conetainers remain outside. They are watered only during dry spells. Plants begin emerging in late March. Germination occurs over a 3-4 week period.
Length of Establishment Phase:	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 June. The plants develop small rosettes with several true leaves. They will not go dormant with summer temperatures but cease growing.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	2 months
Hardening Phase:	Fertilizer is withheld in September and water decreased to harden the plants for winter. 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:	Plants should not be dug up from stands in the wild. Wild grown plants rarely survive the transplanting process (Parish 1996, Kruckeberg 1996). Some authorities combine D. pulchellum, D. pauciflorum,and D. cusickii, while others consider them separate species.
References:	Faust, Ralph and Peggy Faust. 1999. Wildflowers of the Inland Northwest. Museum of North Idaho. Coeur d'Alene, ID. 141 pp. Greene, H.C. and J.T. Curtis. 1950. Germination Studies of Wisconsin Prairie Plants. American Midland Naturalist 43:186-194. 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. Mohlenbrock, Robert H. Western Wetland Flora: A Field Office Guide to Wetland Species. USDA, NRCS Western Region. Sacramento, CA. Parish, Roberta, Ray Coupe, and Dennis Lloyd (eds.). 1996. Plants of Southern Interior British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing, Vancouver, BC, Canada. 463 pp. Patterson, Patricia A, Kenneth E. Neiman, and Jonalea R. Tonn. 1985. Field Guide to Forest Plants of Northern Idaho. General Technical Report INT-180. USDA Forest Service Intermountain Research Station. Ogden, Utah. 246 pp. Rickett, Harold W. 1973. Wildflowers of the United States: The Central Mountains and Plains. Vol. 6. (3 parts). McGraw Hill, New York. US Fish and Wildlife Service. 1988. National list of vascular plant species that occur in wetlands. US Fish & Wildlife Service Biological Report 88 (24). 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 (02 February 2006). USDA, NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). Data compiled from various sources by Mark W. Skinner. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Citation:

Skinner, David M,. 2006. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Dodecatheon pulchellum (Raf.) Merr. 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.