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Aletris farinosa

Agueroot · Colicroot · Crow-corn

Family NartheciaceaeGenus Aletris

Three slender white flower spikes standing above meadow grass
FlowerDoug McGrady from Warwick, RI, USACC BY 2.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
Herbaceous Perennial, Perennial, WildflowerExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Habit
perennial or rhizomatous geophytePlants of the World Online
Flower
WhiteExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Blooms
Spring, SummerExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Native range
Canada, lower 48 statesPLANTS Database

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sunExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil
SandExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Moisture
Good Drainage, Occasionally Dry, Occasionally WetExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS.

Worth knowing

This source reports three treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 3, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow on the surface — do not cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 33 days to germinate.

90% germination — first up on day 31, then 80% a day.

Light is an absolute requirement: nothing germinates in the dark, with or without a cold period. Ten weeks in the dark beforehand halves the eventual germination, so the dark does active harm rather than merely nothing.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Aletris p. 90Public domain
Show the original text
Aletrls (Llliaceae). A. farinosa has a photorequirement as shown by 70L(90%, md. t 31 d, 80%/d), 40-70L(87%, ind. t 12 d. 8%/d), and none in 70D or 40- 70D. A prior ten weeks in 70D reduced germination in 70L to 40% showing that 70D is deleterious.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Aletris p. 90. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 13, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  2. Sow on the surface — do not cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

about 3 months from start to sowing. Then 23 days to germinate.

87% germination — first up on day 12, then 8% a day.

The cold period shortens the wait from a month to twelve days, at a slower rate once it starts.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Aletris p. 90Public domain
Show the original text
Aletrls (Llliaceae). A. farinosa has a photorequirement as shown by 70L(90%, md. t 31 d, 80%/d), 40-70L(87%, ind. t 12 d. 8%/d), and none in 70D or 40- 70D.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Aletris p. 90. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing.

0% germination.

Nothing germinates in the dark.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Aletris p. 90Public domain
Show the original text
Aletrls (Llliaceae). A. farinosa has a photorequirement as shown by 70L(90%, md. t 31 d, 80%/d), 40-70L(87%, ind. t 12 d. 8%/d), and none in 70D or 40- 70D.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Aletris p. 90. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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