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Filipendula ulmaria

European Meadowsweet · Meadowsweet · Queen of the Meadow · Bridewort

Family RosaceaeGenus Filipendula

Upright green stems with toothed leaflets and tight flower buds
The whole plantW. BulachCC BY-SA 4.0

About the plant

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

The plant

Habit
Herbaceous perennialPlant Finder
Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Height
3-6 ft0.9-1.8 mPlant Finder
Spread
1-3 ft30-90 cmPlant Finder
Flower
Showy, fragrant, good cut; white to yellowish-whitePlant Finder
Blooms
June to AugustPlant Finder
Native range
Western Asia, EuropePlant Finder
Hardiness zones
3-9Plant Finder

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sun to part shadePlant Finder
Soil
Clay, Loam (Silt), SandExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Moisture
Moist, Occasionally WetExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Watering
Medium to wetPlant Finder

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

Sources: Plant Finder — Missouri Botanical Garden; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension.

Worth knowing

  • Meadowsweet meant a plant for sweetening mead. In 1899 Bayer made aspirin from salicylic acid derived from it, and named it after the plant's old name, Spiraea ulmaria. Wikipedia: Filipendula ulmaria

Two sources report 5 treatments between them. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedSER, INSR and RBG Kew, 2026

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

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

  1. Alternating temperatures

    Duration: 28 daysTemperature: 50–77°F 10–25°C Light: eitherMedium: 1% agar

    25C by day and 10C by night, 8 hours light.

Germination happens during step 1, in 28 days.

95% germination in 28 days.

Alternating day and night temperatures, which is what Deno's constant 70 and 40 never offered.

Seed Information Database — SER, INSR and RBG Kew, 2026 · Germination records, ser-sid.orgCreative Commons Attribution — reused with credit
Show the original text
Filipendula ulmaria · 95% germination · sample size 20 · 1% agar · 8/16 light hours · 25/10°C (Therm 8/16) · 28 days · United Kingdom
Seed Information Database, Germination records, ser-sid.org. 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 Very high Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 22, 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 14 days to germinate.

7% germination in 14 days.

Deno's experiment was only six weeks old when he wrote it up.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, FilipendulaPublic domain
Show the original text
Filipendula (Rosaceae). F. ulmaria germ. 70L(7% in 2nd w), 70 GA-3(3%), and none in 70 or 40. Experiments are only 6 w old.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Filipendula. 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

Start around March 15, 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. Germination time not stated; 21 days assumed.

3% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, FilipendulaPublic domain
Show the original text
Filipendula (Rosaceae). F. ulmaria germ. 70L(7% in 2nd w), 70 GA-3(3%), and none in 70 or 40. Experiments are only 6 w old.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Filipendula. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 4

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

    None germinated.

No stated waiting before sowing.

0% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, FilipendulaPublic domain
Show the original text
Filipendula (Rosaceae). F. ulmaria germ. 70L(7% in 2nd w), 70 GA-3(3%), and none in 70 or 40. Experiments are only 6 w old.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Filipendula. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 5

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

    None germinated.

Germination happens during step 1.

0% germination.

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

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, FilipendulaPublic domain
Show the original text
Filipendula (Rosaceae). F. ulmaria germ. 70L(7% in 2nd w), 70 GA-3(3%), and none in 70 or 40. Experiments are only 6 w old.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Filipendula. 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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