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Freesia laxa

False Freesia · Scarlet Freesia · Scarlet Kammetjie · Anomatheca

Family IridaceaeGenus Freesia

Also published as Anomatheca laxa, Lapeirousia laxa, Anomatheca laxa alba, Lapeirousia laxa alba. You are in the right place.

A red-orange flower with a darker center among narrow leaves
FlowerPethanCC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

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

The plant

Habit
BulbPlant Finder
Habit
tuberous subshrubPlants of the World Online
Height
0.75-1 ft25-30 cmPlant Finder
Spread
0.5-0.75 ft15-25 cmPlant Finder
Flower
Showy; redPlant Finder
Blooms
May to JunePlant Finder
Native range
Southern Africa, MozambiquePlant Finder
Hardiness zones
8-10Plant Finder
Note
Corms are not reliably hardy north of zone 8; lift them or grow as an annual.Plant Finder

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sunPlant Finder
Watering
MediumPlant 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.

Worth knowing

  • Hardy enough to grow outdoors in all but the coldest parts of the British Isles, in light soil and sun. It went through several genera before settling as Freesia laxa in 1995. Wikipedia: Freesia laxa

This source reports 6 treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around February 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 42 days to germinate.

90% germination in 28–42 days.

Light more than doubles it: 90% against 40% in the dark.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, LapeirouslaPublic domain
Show the original text
Lapeirousla (lridaceae). L laxa germ. 70L(90% in 4-6 w),70D(40% in 2-7 w), 70D GA-3(20% in 4th w), and 40(45% in 11th w). L. laxa alba germ. 70D(2/7 in 6th w) and 40-70(5/8 in 4-6 d).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Lapeirousla. 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 Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 30, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

    Deno's white-flowered form. Deno gives no length for this period; three months is his standard cycle.

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

    Five seeds of eight, four to six days after the move.

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2, in 6 days.

62% germination in 4–6 days.

Deno's white form. Cold first, and then it is up in under a week.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, LapeirouslaPublic domain
Show the original text
Lapeirousla (lridaceae). L laxa germ. 70L(90% in 4-6 w),70D(40% in 2-7 w), 70D GA-3(20% in 4th w), and 40(45% in 11th w). L. laxa alba germ. 70D(2/7 in 6th w) and 40-70(5/8 in 4-6 d).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Lapeirousla. 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

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around January 18, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

Germination happens during step 1, in 77 days.

45% germination in 77 days.

Cold works, slowly, and gives up half the packet against light at 70.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, LapeirouslaPublic domain
Show the original text
Lapeirousla (lridaceae). L laxa germ. 70L(90% in 4-6 w),70D(40% in 2-7 w), 70D GA-3(20% in 4th w), and 40(45% in 11th w). L. laxa alba germ. 70D(2/7 in 6th w) and 40-70(5/8 in 4-6 d).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Lapeirousla. 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, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around February 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 49 days to germinate.

40% germination in 14–49 days.

Faster than in light, but at less than half the yield.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, LapeirouslaPublic domain
Show the original text
Lapeirousla (lridaceae). L laxa germ. 70L(90% in 4-6 w),70D(40% in 2-7 w), 70D GA-3(20% in 4th w), and 40(45% in 11th w). L. laxa alba germ. 70D(2/7 in 6th w) and 40-70(5/8 in 4-6 d).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Lapeirousla. 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, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

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

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

    Deno's white-flowered form.

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 42 days to germinate.

29% germination in 42 days.

Deno's white form, "L. laxa alba". Two seeds of seven in the dark.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, LapeirouslaPublic domain
Show the original text
Lapeirousla (lridaceae). L laxa germ. 70L(90% in 4-6 w),70D(40% in 2-7 w), 70D GA-3(20% in 4th w), and 40(45% in 11th w). L. laxa alba germ. 70D(2/7 in 6th w) and 40-70(5/8 in 4-6 d).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Lapeirousla. 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, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

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

  1. Gibberellic acid soak

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 28 days to germinate.

20% germination in 28 days.

GA-3 halves the dark result. It is the one thing in this entry that makes it worse.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, LapeirouslaPublic domain
Show the original text
Lapeirousla (lridaceae). L laxa germ. 70L(90% in 4-6 w),70D(40% in 2-7 w), 70D GA-3(20% in 4th w), and 40(45% in 11th w). L. laxa alba germ. 70D(2/7 in 6th w) and 40-70(5/8 in 4-6 d).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Lapeirousla. 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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