Deno’s GardenMy Garden

Periploca graeca

Grecian Silkvine · Silkvine

Family ApocynaceaeGenus Periploca

Star-shaped flowers, dark purple inside and green outside, with curled purple filaments, among glossy leaves
FlowerCalinsdadCC0
A plate of a climbing stem with long pointed leaves and clusters of small star flowers, dark purple with green-yellow centers.
IllustrationUnknownPublic domain

About the plant

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

Habit
climbing subshrubPlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, VinePLANTS Database
Flower
Dark purple, greenRead from the photograph on this page
Native range
Albania, Bulgaria, East Aegean Is., Greece, Iran, Iraq and elsewhereGBIF 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; Read from the photograph on this page — Deno's Garden; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Silkvine's bark contains periplocin, a toxic glycoside that acts like digitoxin. Its stem bark also yields a fragrant compound that is a close chemical relative of vanillin. Wikipedia: Periploca graeca

Protocol

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Warm moist stratification

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

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C Light: either

  3. Warm moist stratification

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

about 6 months from start to step 3. Germination happens during step 3, in 4 days.

100% germination in 2–4 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Periploca p. 190Public domain
Show the original text
Periploca (Asclepediaceae). P. graeca germ. 70-40-70(100% in 2-4 d). Light had no effect.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Periploca p. 190. 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

Add to My Garden

View species page