Deno’s GardenMy Garden

Eranthis hyemalis

Choirboys · Winter Aconite · Winter Hellebore

Family RanunculaceaeGenus Eranthis

Two glossy yellow cup flowers with green-tipped stamens, each sitting on a ruff of deeply cut green bracts.
FlowerDominicus Johannes BergsmaCC BY-SA 4.0

About the plant

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

The plant

Habit
Bulb, Ground Cover, Herbaceous Perennial, PerennialExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Habit
tuberous geophytePlants of the World Online
Height
3-6 in10-15 cmExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Spread
3-6 in10-15 cmExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Flower
Gold/YellowExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Blooms
Spring, WinterExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Native range
Albania, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Lebanon-Syria, NW. Balkan Pen.GBIF Backbone Taxonomy
Hardiness zones
3-7Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sun; Partial ShadeExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil
High Organic MatterExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0)Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Moisture
Good Drainage, MoistExtension 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; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Hyemalis means "winter-flowering", and Eranthis joins the Greek words for spring and flower, both names for how early it blooms. Winter aconite is valued as one of the earliest flowers to appear. Wikipedia: Eranthis hyemalis

Protocol

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2, in 59 days.

90% germination in 55–59 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Eranthis p. 139Public domain
Show the original text
Eranthis (Ranunculaceae). E. hyemalis germ. best in 70-40(90% in 55-59 d). A detailed study of the rates of inhibitor destruction at 70 and the clock reaction at 40 are described in Chapter 7. Treatment with GA-3 is not of practical importance, but is interesting from a chemical viewpoint. Seeds treated with GA-3 germ. 89% in 76-87 d if placed directly at 40 and 100% in 47-56 dat 401f given 4w at 70 first. Both results .show that the GA-3 nullifies the effect of the inhibitor system that was destroyed at 70, but has only a minor effect on the inhibitor system destroyed at 40. Eremostachys (
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Eranthis p. 139. 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

Add to My Garden

View species page