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Kunzea baxteri

Scarlet Kunzea

Family MyrtaceaeGenus Kunzea

A crimson bottlebrush flowerhead on a twig of fine needle-like leaves
FlowerMelburnianCC BY 3.0

About the plant

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

Habit
shrubPlants of the World Online
Flower
Scarlet, deep redWikipedia
Native range
Western AustraliaGBIF 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; Wikipedia — Wikipedia contributors; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Scarlet kunzea, from the south-west of Western Australia, has large red flower clusters like a bottlebrush that draw honeyeaters and mammals, which pollinate it. Wikipedia: Kunzea baxteri

This source reports 5 treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 30, 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 6 days to germinate.

60% germination in 4–6 days.

Four days to six. Nothing else in this genus is this quick.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, KunzeaPublic domain
Show the original text
Kunzea (Myrtaceae). Starting at 70 was better than starting at 40. The result that K. vestita required GA-3 or light while K. Baxteri did not requires checking. K. baxteri germ. 70L(60% in 4-6 d), 70D(46% in 6-8 d), 70D GA-3(60% in 6-10 d), 40(18% in 7-12w )-70(1%), and 50% in October from seed placed outdoors in late September.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Kunzea. 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 Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 26, 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 10 days to germinate.

60% germination in 6–10 days.

GA-3 in the dark matches light exactly: 60% either way.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, KunzeaPublic domain
Show the original text
Kunzea (Myrtaceae). Starting at 70 was better than starting at 40. The result that K. vestita required GA-3 or light while K. Baxteri did not requires checking. K. baxteri germ. 70L(60% in 4-6 d), 70D(46% in 6-8 d), 70D GA-3(60% in 6-10 d), 40(18% in 7-12w )-70(1%), and 50% in October from seed placed outdoors in late September.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Kunzea. 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 Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Sow around September 2027 — a date the source gives, not one counted back from a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on September 2026.

  1. Sow outdoors and leave it

    Put out in late September; up in October.

No stated waiting before sowing. Germination time not stated; 21 days assumed.

50% germination.

Half the packet, with no equipment at all.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, KunzeaPublic domain
Show the original text
Kunzea (Myrtaceae). Starting at 70 was better than starting at 40. The result that K. vestita required GA-3 or light while K. Baxteri did not requires checking. K. baxteri germ. 70L(60% in 4-6 d), 70D(46% in 6-8 d), 70D GA-3(60% in 6-10 d), 40(18% in 7-12w )-70(1%), and 50% in October from seed placed outdoors in late September.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Kunzea. 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 March 28, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

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

46% germination in 6–8 days.

It does not need light, unlike K. vestita. Deno says that difference needs checking.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, KunzeaPublic domain
Show the original text
Kunzea (Myrtaceae). Starting at 70 was better than starting at 40. The result that K. vestita required GA-3 or light while K. Baxteri did not requires checking. K. baxteri germ. 70L(60% in 4-6 d), 70D(46% in 6-8 d), 70D GA-3(60% in 6-10 d), 40(18% in 7-12w )-70(1%), and 50% in October from seed placed outdoors in late September.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Kunzea. 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 January 11, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

    A further 1% after the shift.

Germination happens during step 2, in 84 days.

18% germination in 49–84 days.

Starting cold costs two thirds of the packet and three months. Start at 70.

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

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, KunzeaPublic domain
Show the original text
Kunzea (Myrtaceae). Starting at 70 was better than starting at 40. The result that K. vestita required GA-3 or light while K. Baxteri did not requires checking. K. baxteri germ. 70L(60% in 4-6 d), 70D(46% in 6-8 d), 70D GA-3(60% in 6-10 d), 40(18% in 7-12w )-70(1%), and 50% in October from seed placed outdoors in late September.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Kunzea. 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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