Anyone tried growing schebera alata from seed and

do they take five years to bloom from seed?

The plants are described as fast growing in one of

my reference books. Seeds seem to germinate readily within

two weeks at 80 F after a 4 hours of soaking in water.

I will probably wind up growing them in large tubs.

Thanks

Nathan in Vancouver, WA(USA)

I have a friend here in S. Florida who grows and sells Schrebera alata. I think he collected seed in Africa himself. I think the plant will bloom sooner than five years; I have one in a three gallon can, about 3' tall, that has bloomed constantly for several months. I doubt it is more than two years old, though I don't know if it came from seed or cutting. Your toughest challenge will be keeping enough heat on the plant. (I lived in Portland for a couple of years; not enough heat for me, so I got out...) The plant will grow at least as far north as Santa Barbara, CA, maybe farther, without protection. Best of luck.