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Cardinal Flower Seeds

17 years ago

Can someone please describe to me what Cardinal Flower seeds aught to look like? I've harvested what I think are the seeds from my one and only plant. Most of the pods were undeveloped and empty but 2 had the tiniest-most particles in them. The colour was like "toasted almond" and they were so tiny that you couldn't breathe near them or they would be cast across the surface of the plate. Are those the seeds? They looked more like tiny grains of pollen but I kept them anyway, until I find out if they are truely the seeds.

Thanks for any help.

Barb

southern Ontario, CANADA

Comments (7)

cypsavant
17 years ago
Hi Barb,
Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) seeds are just as you describe, wee tiny things. I've usually found them to be a bit reddish/rusty orange...so "toasted almond" sounds about right.
They don't require cold treatment usually, but they do need light to germinate. Surface sow them on damp mix next spring, and don't cover them. Bottom watering is a good idea, it'll keep them from being forced down into the mix. I usually winter sow them in early spring in an old salad container with a clear plastic lid with a few vent holes...seems to work pretty well.
Good luck
joepyeweed
17 years ago
Yup - those tiny specs are the seeds.
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Thanks for the compliment Karen. :) Stillwelljill, Yes, I have winter sown them. I live in a coastal area of Nova Scotia, Canada sheltered by the woodlands. The poppies took three years to bloom and generally bloom for most of the month of July. Our soil is acidic and our summers are cool compared to most. The poppies get sun until 11 am then dappled shade the rest of the day. The soil never goes dry in this garden, but is not soggy wet either, and it is always cool. It is rich in organic matter, especially leaf mold which the poppies like. (Not rich as in fertilizers which I don't use in the gardens.) Altitude doesn't really matter to the Blue Poppies, but cool summers and well drained but moist cool acidic soil does matter. There is a garden in Quebec which has the most beautiful gardens full of them and they are on the St. Lawrence River, Zone 4 I believe. They are called Les Jardins De Metis and are also known as the Reford Gardens. No altitude there nor here. Your Zone 7 might be a challenge simply because of the summer heat and/or the alkalinity of the soil. That is not to say you shouldn't try them if you get seeds. Just plant them in a cool spot on your property, dappled shade all day might be best, and keep the soil moist. You might also try to get a soil test done to see if your soil is acidic or not, then act accordingly. I have some seeds but they are all spoken for. I only collect one pod every year since I want my plants to 'perennialize'. Basically if you let them go to seed they may not return. This year I divided three plants into 10 and they are all doing well. :O) I also winter sowed more last winter and they are pouting a bit yet I expect them to return.
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offplumb
17 years ago
I just checked on my cardinalis plants/seed pods today
i've been waiting....
and waiting...
and waiting for them to be "ripe" (zone 6 ny state - very close to the hudson river).
I did pull off two pods that were the "brownest of the bunch" - and brown is a bit of a stretch - they just don't seem ready yet. i sorta "scattered" the pods in a couple of mossier areas (as per esh_ga's suggestion on another thread).

many of my other plants clearly show me when they're "ready" to share their seeds, but this one seems a bit trickier.

I'd like to wait a bit longer before I try again to collect some seeds, but I fear losing them.
do you think I should place a nylon or something over them??

thanks!
knottyceltic
Original Author
17 years ago
It's unlikely that a nylon would work anyway. They are finer than DUST, no word of a lie. :o/ I really can't think of any way that the seeds/dust could be collected if the pods were to open spontaneously.

My Cardinal Flower plant (ya, I only have one little lonely one) is in the shade so it's still green but ones I've seen in sunny areas are now turning that brownish/yellow colour. I knocked on the door of someone I don't even know to ask them for some pods but unfortunately nobody answered. :o( I'll try again though because it takes a zillion of these dust specs to even appear visible in a tiny seed envelope. I'm afraid if I don't put in enough that people will think I'm ripping them off when I use CF seeds in trades.

Bubble off plumb... you and I are very close geographically (relatively speaking) and we've had such wet, wet weather, I suppose it's hard for the seeds to ripen and the stalks to dry.

Barb
southern Ontario, CANADA
offplumb
17 years ago
guess I'll just try to keep an eye on 'em.
thanks for saving me the anguish of
a) trying to find a nylon - scarce 'round here
b) going thru the entire proceedure to see they escaped my capture anyway

I had two plants - one of them has been stripped bare, only the stalk remains. the other, I've been pulling pods off of.
so theres not much left.
mine are in the shadier parts, too.

I just found it odd that things like the asters bloomed later and set seed earlier -
but I guess everything has it's own "time".

good luck on your seed snatching!
knottyceltic
Original Author
17 years ago
Bubble off Plumb... if you can't get seeds, would you like me to send you some?

I haven't much but seeing as about a thousand could fit on your thumb, I know I have way more than I need.

I did the same thing with my plant...kept pulling off pods to check them and then when the seed were finally ripe, I only had 2 pods left. I'll know better for next year I guess.

Barb
offplumb
17 years ago
an emphatic YES!
I'll keep my eye on my few remaining pods -
if all fails on that front, it would be VERY appreciated.
there's just something about these plants...
maybe because they're "Exploitably Vulnerable" in NY
and definately because of their color and beauty -
I just want to "do my part" to help 'em keep on "keepin' on".

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