Hi Lilydude,

I have three plants and they have grown well for me for the plant six years in my USDA Zone 5 garden. I have not had any luck getting any seeds to germinate. The plants flower fine, fruit matures, but planting seeds indoors and outdoors yield nothing. One year I washed the fruit / seeds well and still no luck. Another year I tried bottom heat ... nothing.

At least my three plants appear to produce non-viable seed. That could be why seeds are not easy to find.

Tom

I have seed and they germinate just fine.

Hey Macdaddy,
If you have any seed now or in the future and want to trade please let me know.
Jim

Tis the season for Sikokianum seed. It's just a matter of me having the time to collect them. I've got one seed head that is already ripe (which is unusual since it doesn't usually happened till Decembers freezing temps). I have some others that are starting to ripen. I also have stored about 60 seed from the two prior years to test how long they last in refrigeration.

When I finally get them processed I'll be selling them on ebay.

This storage issue has been researched. Most seeds will last a year or two in the fridge, but much, much longer in the freezer. I store a lot of different kinds of seed in the freezer at 0 degrees F. Lily seeds are still viable after 25-30 years. Amazingly, even tiny dust-like seeds will still grow after 15 years. There are a couple of requirements:
1) the seed has to be DRY when you freeze it. Some seeds can't be dried (oaks, maples, some tropicals, etc.). I know that some Arisaema can be dried (amurense and candidissimum), but I can't make sweeping guarantees. It would be worth an experiment. I dry lily seeds by placing them in an open container and exposing them to indoor temperatures for a few weeks.
2) the seed has to be stored in an airtight container in the freezer. I do not recommend the use of a dessicant.
3) when you take the seed out of the freezer, keep it in its airtight container until it is at room temperature. That way moisture won't condense on the seed.

Lilydude,

Thanks for the info.

-Brian

gardenphotographer

Look at this site. I don't know if it will help, but it looks like the info in the abstract even might help.

George

Here is a link that might be useful: Arisaema sikokianum seed

Macdaddy, If you offer the seed on eBay, will you be offering them in the berry, or cleaned? I have heard that in the fruit they do better, but I have had no problems with any of the cleaned arisaema seed I have purchased, so it may not make a difference.

George

ps. Does your alias indicate you are a Macintosh fan?

I clean them then store them on damp paper towels in the refrigerator. I get >97% germination so I don't think keeping them as berries will make a difference. Besides the berries rot.

Macdaddy is a play on my last name and the fact that I am a daddy. Someone was calling me by that name and I didn't "get it" for a while. It's slang for pimp.

macdaddy, I'm still interested, and I'm checking ebay regularly.

I was cleaning them as always without gloves but this year I got a reaction. Oxialic acid I believe is the problem. That delayed me. In any case I'm done cleaning but need to do a germination test.

Your life would be so much easier if you would just box them up and send them all to ME, heh, heh.

Did you check Gardens North? They have a number of arisaema seeds.

Thanks, Annebert. They have some nice ones, but not sikokianum.