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Anchusa officinalis

Alkanet · Common Bugloss · True Alkanet

Family BoraginaceaeGenus Anchusa

Rain-beaded violet flowers with five notched lobes and small orange or white eyes, opening from a bristly hairy stem.
FlowerIvar LeidusCC BY-SA 4.0

About the plant

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

Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Habit
Biennial, Perennial, Forb/herbPLANTS Database
Flower
BlueWikipedia
Native range
Albania, Austria, Baleares, Baltic States, Belarus, Bulgaria and elsewhereGBIF 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; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; Wikipedia — Wikipedia contributors; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Its large flow of nectar makes it popular with bumblebees. Anchusa comes from the Greek for plants that rouge was made from. Wikipedia: Anchusa officinalis

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 30, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 6 days to germinate.

70% germination in 2–6 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Anchusa p. 19Public domain
Show the original text
Anchusa (Boraginaceae). A. officinalis seeds had been DS for 18 m when received. These germ. 70D(70% in 2-6 d) and 40(6%)-70. Light, GA-3, or an additional 6 m DS had no effect. Note that starting at 40 was nearly fatal.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Anchusa p. 19. 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 Very high Rated by us, not by the source.

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

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C Light: either

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: either

Steps after step 1 run on after germination.

Germination happens during step 1; time not stated, 21 days assumed.

6% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Anchusa p. 19Public domain
Show the original text
Anchusa (Boraginaceae). A. officinalis seeds had been DS for 18 m when received. These germ. 70D(70% in 2-6 d) and 40(6%)-70. Light, GA-3, or an additional 6 m DS had no effect. Note that starting at 40 was nearly fatal.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Anchusa p. 19. 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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