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Allium schubertii

Tumbleweed Onion

Family AmaryllidaceaeGenus Allium

A head of pale pink star flowers on radiating stalks of wildly unequal length, like a firework caught mid-burst
FlowerSimoneCC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

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

Habit
bulbous geophytePlants of the World Online
Flower
MauveWikipedia
Native range
Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Palestine, TürkiyeGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

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

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Wikipedia — Wikipedia contributors; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • The flower and seed heads of this ornamental onion have been compared to exploding fireworks. Both are dried for flower arranging and can even be spray-painted and hung on Christmas trees. Wikipedia: Allium schubertii

This source reports 4 treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 15, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 21 days to germinate.

64% germination in 7–21 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Allium p. 18Public domain
Show the original text
Allium (Liliaceae). A. schubertii germ. 70D(64% in 1-3 w), 70L(6%), 40(61% in 4-8 w), and 28% in April in outdoor treatment. Light inhibits germination.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Allium p. 18. 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, 1996

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around February 8, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

Germination happens during step 1, in 56 days.

61% germination in 28–56 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Allium p. 18Public domain
Show the original text
Allium (Liliaceae). A. schubertii germ. 70D(64% in 1-3 w), 70L(6%), 40(61% in 4-8 w), and 28% in April in outdoor treatment. Light inhibits germination.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Allium p. 18. 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, 1996

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Sow outdoors and leave it

    Up in April.

No stated waiting before sowing.

28% germination.

This source doesn't state how long step 1 lasts.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Allium p. 18Public domain
Show the original text
Allium (Liliaceae). A. schubertii germ. 70D(64% in 1-3 w), 70L(6%), 40(61% in 4-8 w), and 28% in April in outdoor treatment. Light inhibits germination.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Allium p. 18. 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 4

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Very high Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 15, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Germination time not stated; 21 days assumed.

6% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Allium p. 18Public domain
Show the original text
Allium (Liliaceae). A. schubertii germ. 70D(64% in 1-3 w), 70L(6%), 40(61% in 4-8 w), and 28% in April in outdoor treatment. Light inhibits germination.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Allium p. 18. 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.

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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