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Cerinthe major

Greater Honeywort · Blue Shrimp Plant · Great Honeywort · Honeywort

Family BoraginaceaeGenus Cerinthe

Yellow tubular flowers banded maroon, hanging under blue-green bracts flushed purple
FlowerHans HillewaertCC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

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

Habit
annualPlants of the World Online
Habit
Annual, Biennial, Forb/herbPLANTS Database
Flower
Yellow, maroonRead from the photograph on this page
Native range
Albania, Algeria, Corse, East Aegean Is., France, Greece 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; Read from the photograph on this page — Deno's Garden; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Honeywort is a Mediterranean annual. Its forms range from subspecies major, with sea-green bracts and yellow flowers, to subspecies purpurascens, with blue bracts and purple flowers. Wikipedia: Cerinthe major

Two sources report 6 treatments between them. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1998

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 22, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Gibberellic acid soak

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 14 days to germinate.

100% germination in 14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1998 · 2nd Supplement, Cerinthe p. 23Public domain
Show the original text
Cerinthe (Boraginaceae). C. major data is now more complete. Seeds germ. 70 GA-3(100% in 2nd w), 70L(3/7 in 2nd w), and 70D(5/12 in 2nd w). The promoting effect of GA-3 is real because when the sample in 70L was shifted to 70 GA-3 after 3 m, 3 of the remaining 4 germ. in 3-9 d, and a sample subjected to 40-70D treatment failed to germinate a single seed but when treated with GA-3, 80% germ. in 2-4 w.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement, 2nd Supplement, Cerinthe p. 23. 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, 1998

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 22, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 14 days to germinate.

43% germination in 14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1998 · 2nd Supplement, Cerinthe p. 23Public domain
Show the original text
Cerinthe (Boraginaceae). C. major data is now more complete. Seeds germ. 70 GA-3(100% in 2nd w), 70L(3/7 in 2nd w), and 70D(5/12 in 2nd w). The promoting effect of GA-3 is real because when the sample in 70L was shifted to 70 GA-3 after 3 m, 3 of the remaining 4 germ. in 3-9 d, and a sample subjected to 40-70D treatment failed to germinate a single seed but when treated with GA-3, 80% germ. in 2-4 w.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement, 2nd Supplement, Cerinthe p. 23. 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, 1998

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 22, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 14 days to germinate.

42% germination in 14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1998 · 2nd Supplement, Cerinthe p. 23Public domain
Show the original text
Cerinthe (Boraginaceae). C. major data is now more complete. Seeds germ. 70 GA-3(100% in 2nd w), 70L(3/7 in 2nd w), and 70D(5/12 in 2nd w). The promoting effect of GA-3 is real because when the sample in 70L was shifted to 70 GA-3 after 3 m, 3 of the remaining 4 germ. in 3-9 d, and a sample subjected to 40-70D treatment failed to germinate a single seed but when treated with GA-3, 80% germ. in 2-4 w.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement, 2nd Supplement, Cerinthe p. 23. 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 Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 22, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Gibberellic acid soak

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 14 days to germinate.

100% germination in 10–14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Cerinthe p. 30Public domain
Show the original text
Cerinthe (Boraginaceae). C. major germ. 70 GA-3(5/5 in 10-14 d), 70L(3/7 on 8th d), and 70D(5/12 in 6-10 d).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Cerinthe p. 30. 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 5

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 28, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 8 days to germinate.

43% germination in 8 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Cerinthe p. 30Public domain
Show the original text
Cerinthe (Boraginaceae). C. major germ. 70 GA-3(5/5 in 10-14 d), 70L(3/7 on 8th d), and 70D(5/12 in 6-10 d).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Cerinthe p. 30. 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 6

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 26, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 10 days to germinate.

42% germination in 6–10 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Cerinthe p. 30Public domain
Show the original text
Cerinthe (Boraginaceae). C. major germ. 70 GA-3(5/5 in 10-14 d), 70L(3/7 on 8th d), and 70D(5/12 in 6-10 d).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Cerinthe p. 30. 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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