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Kalmia cuneata

White Wicky

Family EricaceaeGenus Kalmia

A leafy shrub with clusters of small white cup-shaped flowers among oval green leaves at the water's edge
FlowerPatricia W. LloydCC BY 4.0
A hand-colored plate of white cup-shaped flowers with red anther pockets, above glossy leaves
IllustrationM.S. del., J.N.Fitch lith.Public domain

About the plant

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

Habit
shrubPlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, ShrubPLANTS Database
Flower
Creamy whiteFlora of North America
Native range
North Carolina, South CarolinaGBIF 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; Flora of North America — Flora of North America Editorial Committee; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Whitewicky grows only in North and South Carolina. It is deciduous, a key feature for identifying it. Wikipedia: Kalmia cuneata

Protocol

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Separate the seed from its case

    Crush the hard capsule so light can reach the seed.

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 56 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

    Jaynes held eight weeks at 40 to be necessary.

  3. Sow on the surface — do not cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

about 8 weeks from start to sowing.

Jaynes's finding as Deno reports it. No percentage is given for this species.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, KalmiaPublic domain
Show the original text
Kalmia (Ericaceae). Kalmia requires light as found by R. Jaynes for K. angustifolia, K. cuneata, K. hirsuta, K. latifolia, K. microphylla, and K. polifolia (ref. 41) and confirmed by myself for K. angustifolia and K. latifolia. Jaynes claimed that an eight week period at 40 was necessary for germination of K. latifolia (and K. cuneata). Jaynes also found that the cold requirement disappeared after a year of DS. The seed is contained in hard spherical capsules. These must be crushed to allow light to reach the seed. The seed is small and hard to separate from the hard capsules so that seed counts and percent germination are inaccurate.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Kalmia. 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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