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Mertensia maritima

Oysterplant · Oyster Leaf · Sea Bluebells · Sea Lungwort

Family BoraginaceaeGenus Mertensia

Trailing stems of blue-gray oval leaves spreading over gray beach cobbles, tipped with small pink and pale blue flowers.
The whole plantNo machine-readable author provided. Dlanglois assumed (based on copyright claims).CC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

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

Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Flower
Blue, pinkRead from the photograph on this page

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; Read from the photograph on this page — Deno's Garden.

Worth knowing

  • Oyster plant gets its name because its leaves taste vaguely of oysters when eaten. Crushed, they give off dimethyl sulphide, a major part of the smell of raw oysters. It grows on gravelly shores, usually within reach of the highest winter tides, as far north as Svalbard. Wikipedia: Mertensia maritima

This source reports 4 treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 27, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 9 days to germinate.

50% germination in 5–9 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Mertensia p. 58Public domain
Show the original text
Mertensia (Boraginaceae). M. maritima germ. 70L(50% in 5-9 d), 70 GA-3{25% in 5-12 d), OS(43% in 2nd w), OT(15% in October), 70D(none), and 40- 70D(20% on 6th d). It is remarkable that light, GA-3, 40-70D, and oscitlating temperatures initiate germination, but none germ. in 70D. The seeds are enclosed in a black ioose outer seed coat. The thin narrow seeds were laboriously removed from the outer seed coat before treatment.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Mertensia p. 58. 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, 1996

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

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

  1. Alternating temperatures

    Temperature: 40–70°F 4–21°C

Germination happens during step 1, in 14 days.

43% germination in 14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Mertensia p. 58Public domain
Show the original text
Mertensia (Boraginaceae). M. maritima germ. 70L(50% in 5-9 d), 70 GA-3{25% in 5-12 d), OS(43% in 2nd w), OT(15% in October), 70D(none), and 40- 70D(20% on 6th d). It is remarkable that light, GA-3, 40-70D, and oscitlating temperatures initiate germination, but none germ. in 70D. The seeds are enclosed in a black ioose outer seed coat. The thin narrow seeds were laboriously removed from the outer seed coat before treatment.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Mertensia p. 58. 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, 1996

Difficulty High 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

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

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

20% germination in 6 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Mertensia p. 58Public domain
Show the original text
Mertensia (Boraginaceae). M. maritima germ. 70L(50% in 5-9 d), 70 GA-3{25% in 5-12 d), OS(43% in 2nd w), OT(15% in October), 70D(none), and 40- 70D(20% on 6th d). It is remarkable that light, GA-3, 40-70D, and oscitlating temperatures initiate germination, but none germ. in 70D. The seeds are enclosed in a black ioose outer seed coat. The thin narrow seeds were laboriously removed from the outer seed coat before treatment.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Mertensia p. 58. 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, 1996

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Sow outdoors and leave it

    Up in October.

No stated waiting before sowing.

15% germination.

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

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Mertensia p. 58Public domain
Show the original text
Mertensia (Boraginaceae). M. maritima germ. 70L(50% in 5-9 d), 70 GA-3{25% in 5-12 d), OS(43% in 2nd w), OT(15% in October), 70D(none), and 40- 70D(20% on 6th d). It is remarkable that light, GA-3, 40-70D, and oscitlating temperatures initiate germination, but none germ. in 70D. The seeds are enclosed in a black ioose outer seed coat. The thin narrow seeds were laboriously removed from the outer seed coat before treatment.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Mertensia p. 58. 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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