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Paris quadrifolia

Herb Paris · True Lover's Knot

Family MelanthiaceaeGenus Paris

A single blue-black berry sitting at the center of a whorl of four broad ribbed leaves, on the litter of a woodland floor.
FruitGeorge ChernilevskyPublic domain

About the plant

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

Habit
rhizomatous geophytePlants of the World Online
Flower
GreenWikipedia

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.

Worth knowing

  • Usually four leaves in a single whorl, with the flower above them. Each plant bears at most one blueberry-like berry. It is in decline in Europe, and red-listed in Iceland. Wikipedia: Paris quadrifolia

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around November 3, 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

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2, in 63 days.

77% germination in 63 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Paris p. 186Public domain
Show the original text
Paris (Liliaceae). P. quadrifolia germ. 70(6%)-40-70(69% in 7-12 w) and 40- 7040-70(77% in 9th w). Only the radicle develops at 70. Difficulties were experienced in getting a true leaf to develop and efféctie conditions have not been found. Some of the seedlings formed the true leaf by shifting to 40 for 3 m and returning to 70. If kept too long at 70 after germination, the Seedlings rot. It is likely that as in other early spring species, the shift from 40 to 70 needs to be gradual in order to allow most of the growth to take place at intermediate temperatures. All DS seed rotted.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Paris p. 186. 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 High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around July 16, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on July 15, 2026.

  1. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

    6 germinated in this phase.

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  3. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

about 6 months from start to step 3. Germination happens during step 3, in 84 days.

69% germination in 49–84 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Paris p. 186Public domain
Show the original text
Paris (Liliaceae). P. quadrifolia germ. 70(6%)-40-70(69% in 7-12 w) and 40- 7040-70(77% in 9th w). Only the radicle develops at 70. Difficulties were experienced in getting a true leaf to develop and efféctie conditions have not been found. Some of the seedlings formed the true leaf by shifting to 40 for 3 m and returning to 70. If kept too long at 70 after germination, the Seedlings rot. It is likely that as in other early spring species, the shift from 40 to 70 needs to be gradual in order to allow most of the growth to take place at intermediate temperatures. All DS seed rotted.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Paris p. 186. 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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