Aristolochia watsonii
There isn't a "trailing plants" forum, so hopefully it's ok to post this here ;)
I've had an Aristolochia watsonii plant in a pot with one of my cacti for about 12 years now. I originally dug it up from my yard in Tucson when I lived there and it has done wonderfully ever since. It flowers and sets fruit every year, but I thought that the seeds were non-viable due to my inability to get them to germinate. Well, just today I found a seedling in my kids' sandbox! The area where I found it is just a few feet from the parent plant and a seed must have been washed in when I was watering. I dug it up, (it already had a little "tuber"), and put it in a new terra cotta pot.
My thought is that while my kids were playing in the sandbox they must have inadvertantly scarified the seed with the coarse sand. Of course, I have no way of knowing if the seed was from this year's fruits or if it had been lying dormant for a year or two. But I do know that the seedling is from this year because I'm continually pulling spurge and grasses from the sandbox and I would have noticed it during one of these earlier weedings.
Anyway, now that I know that the plant produces viable seed I would like to offer some in trade to anyone that might be interested. I have only a few dozen seeds, (collected today), so I would have to limit the number of trades to four at this time, (ten seeds to each individual). What I'm currently interest in is:
Aristolochias other than A. gigantea or A. californica
Petrea volubilis - Queens Wreath
Antigonon leptopus - another Queens Wreath, (the bright pink variety only, please)
Species Morning Glories
If I don't get any nibbles I would be willing to send 10 seeds for a S.A.S.E.
A.watsonii seedling
A. watsonii seeds
Below is a link that gives more information about my Aristolochia, (written by Mark Dimmitt, Plant Curator of the Arizona/Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson). It's got some interesting, (and disgusting), information about the plant's pollination. I'm wondering if something else pollinates the plant here in the Sacramento area... As I mentioned I'm not sure what you'd have to do to get germination, but I'm guessing scarification, stratification and/or soaking overnite might be good places to start.
Thanks,
Mike
Here is a link that might be useful: A. watsonii
Comments (5)
taylor_tx
huachumaOriginal Author
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