Hi !

What a strange idea: viability for viola's seeds is 2 years, more or less. I do think it's really too short for a collection. What is the use of keeping seeds that might never germinate ?
You'd better have a collection of true violets ;o)

Take care :-)
Thierry.

Cheryl,

From my experience, there is nothing special about V. selkirkii as regards seed production/collection/longevity/ etc.
So I'd give the same advice as for any violet (or pansy) - wait until the seed pod turns upwards, and preferably wait until it starts to split open, before removing the pod (and all its stem) from the plant. Put the pod in a paper bag (plastic makes for too much humidity), and wait until the pod has dehisced.
Better still, in terms of seed viability, probably, is to enclose the pods while still on the plants. I use old open-fabric (almost cheesecloth) herbal tea bags, tied round the stem loosely with lightweight string. When the pod has opened and probably shed its seeds, cut the stem off and hold the bag the other way up so the seeds don't fall out when you open (untie) it.

It would be interesting from an experimental point of view, to not follow that advice precisely; rather, collect seed at various stages of pod-opening/dehiscence, and record that along with your other data when the seeds go into storage. ...In case there is something to be learned in terms of maximizing viability.

I presume you are talking about storage in a controlled temp/humity/light environment, as per RHS Kew seed bank, eg. Does your project include plans for sowing samples of the seeds at various times over the years? I would be interested to keep track of the project, if at all possible; please advise.

Theirry, you're wrong about seed viability in Viola.
It all depends on the conditions.
Given suitable conditions, natural or man-made, violet seeds can remain viable for decades. ...As shown by the re-emergence of species from soil seed banks, despite the plants not having been seen growing in the area for ages. A classic case of this has been Viola persicifolia in Cambridgeshire and in Oxfordshire. I have also, just this spring, had a V. hirta flower in a field I own, where I have never seen one before and which has not been open pasture (where its parents might have been growing) for 50 years. Since the seeds are dispersed only slowly (by ants), I am tempted to believe my plant arose from a seed shed by its parent decades ago.

Mike

I won't question your experiment Mike concerning viola seeds viability during decades, I just don't believe it much :-) What the hell my point of you is, I will never advice to keep seeds for decades: good way to be very desapointed.
Sometimes common rules are helpful and the exception never makes it :-)

All the best :-)
Thierry

Thierry,
People keep seeds for long periods, not because they expect better germination; they do it to:
- preserve the gene pool (especially in cases where the live plants in the wild or garden are close to extinction)
- study viability, degradation, fungal interactions, dormancy controls, etc. - as part of understanding how some seeds manage to survive for long periods or time in the soil (or fail to do so).
Cheers,
Mike