I hope you get an answer. I just ordered some seeds of A. tortuosum, too. Also have planted some triphyllum, serratum, and sikokianum. Am praying my nepenthoides comes back this spring, too. It's been so dry here in Oklahoma. I know they need stratification (cold) to germinate. When did you sow them? I have heard it can take a couple of months sometimes.

Susan

Mark,
A. tortuosum doesn't need any kind of stratification and you are trying to germinate them too cool. A little fluctuation between day & night temps is often helpful, but you should try to keep them in the 65-75°F range 24/7 and give them light from a close florescent lamp to during the day. Since you said you cleaned them you must have fresh seed and they should germinate 4-6 weeks at the right temperature & moisture level.

Keiko

Keiko - where do you pack in all this knowledge? I am so glad to know that. With it's hardiness zone, I just assumed it could be winter sown (in my zone anyway) along with my other arisaemas. Okay, then answer for me. Am I sowing serratum, sikokianum, and triphyllum correctly? And, where can I find this info? Is there a comprehensive aroid seed database somewhere, so I don't have to look 50 million places?

Susan

Well!?

I grew up about 20 miles straight down the mountain from J.L. Hudson and have been buying unusual seeds from them since I was a child.

Then came along Norman Deno's work at Penn State on the theory of seed germination. This work is too large in scope to always be entirely accurate but is the best starting point when in doubt.

Out of the ones you have listed, triphyllum is the problem child from seed. It needs stratification and doesn't follow any particular schedule. Winter sowing in a coldframe would probably be best in OK, but you can also use the baggie method to run them in and out of the fridge until they decide to germinate at room temperature.

These unusually dry winter conditions are probably best for Alocasias and Arisaemas in the ground.

Keiko

Great! I have triphyllum outside in a container. My nepenthoides is in the ground as is Thai Giant, macrorhiza, wentii, Ruffles, remusatis vivipara (I know it's not an ear, but closely related), arum maculata, typhoniums, and the purple Alocasia (I don't recall the name right now). So they should be okay, even tho we haven't had a drop of rain (well, barely).

I was thinking I might need to go out and water a little bit tomorrow, but if you don't think they need it, I can skip these guys and girls.

Thanks - I love J.L. Hudson.

Susan

Susan,
I think the maculatum and other Arums are the exception to letting them go dry this time of the year in our climate. I mean Arum as a Genus and not as a general term for other aroids.

After the first devastating freeze in December all of my Arums are doing well, not minding the light frosts as much as they hate an early spring heat wave. I am keeping mine well-watered and drenching with high phosphorus fertilizer.

I think J.L. Hudson and Chiltern are the two best for the adventuresome that want something new but don't like garden floosies :-)

Keiko

Thanks for all the information! While doing fall cleanup I found the fruits and they looked liked developed seeds so I figured I had nothing to lose by trying them. I'll move them to an area that's warmer during the day. I've kept the medium moist to leach out any remaining inhibitors.

As triphyllum is native here it's very easy from seed; I just fling the seed clusters against a tree trunk and they splatter everywhere. Seedlings appear and I move them or not depending on where I'd like them. This, however will be my first experience with an exotic Arisaema. It's hard to resist the urge to propagate!

I guess I need to check out J.L. Hudson now.

As I do CHiltern. I have ordered from J.L. Hudson, but never knew about Chiltern. Is that a USA company?

Susan

A. triphyllum has always seemed so cranky from seed to me that perhaps I've started overworking them. If I ever decide to grow any more from seed I think I will try the smashing against a tree trunk technique.

Chiltern is Umberston Stile, U.K., but web orders have always arrived exactly on the 7th day, something like way the British rail system is supposed to work.

Keiko

I thought I recalled someone saying on the forum last year that triphyllum practically propagated itself from seed fallen on the ground. Am I hallucinating again? I think it was someone in the Northern regions.

Susan

It does, Susan. That's how it works in nature so I just essentially spread the seed around and let Mom Nature take care of cleaning off the pulp and stratifying it. She's got the experience so I just let her use it :)

I got some seed recently from someone on the forum but I don't know who and consequently unable to thank them. But if you see this post, please know how much they are appreciated! I hope the seed I planted in the fall made it, too, because it has been so dry this fall and winter. In fact, they are saying that spring is really here for us, not to expect rain anytime soon, the spring flowers are already up, the trees are budding out, my neighbor's tree peonies have set buds, so I'm ready to pull out the hoses next weekend.

Susan

Susan-
I recently sent A. triphyllum and dracontum seed along with two A. tryphyllum tubers...
I assume that is what you are referring to in the above post?
If not, did you get them?
:-)
KA

Gosh, yes I did get them and was I a happy camper? You bet your sweet bippy! Shall I sow the dracontium similar to the other arisaemas? I was especially impressed with the size of the tubers! The ones I got 3 years ago from Wayside were about 1/6 the size of the ones you sent! Wow! Think I can plant them now safely? They say that spring is here for us, although nighttime temps are still fluctuating in the 30s and 40s. The ground however never did freeze here.

The name on the box was another name and I wasn't sure who that was - sorry. I just didn't know who to thank. Did I say I would send something?

Wow, I was thrilled!

Susan