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Pinellia ternata

Crowdipper · Pinellia

Family AraceaeGenus Pinellia

A plant of three-lobed leaves on a smooth stalk, sending up a slim green hood from which a thin dark spadix curves, in bare weedy ground.
The whole plantThe original uploader was Polyhedron at Chinese Wikipedia.CC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

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

Habit
tuberous geophytePlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, Forb/herbPLANTS Database
Flower
Greenish, whitish greenFlora of China
Native range
China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Inner Mongolia, Japan 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; Flora of China — Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven and Hong Deyuan (eds.); GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Called crow-dipper. Toxic raw, it must be processed before use in traditional medicine. It has become an invasive weed in parts of Europe and North America. Wikipedia: Pinellia ternata

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 December 26, 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 10 days.

95% germination in 8–10 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Pinellia p. 194Public domain
Show the original text
Pinellia (Araceae). P. ternata germ. 70(69% in 312 d) and 40-70(95% in 8- 10 d). Seed DS 6 m at 70 or 40 gave similar results. Pinguicula (Lent lbulariaceae).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Pinellia p. 194. 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 Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around May 29, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on May 28, 2026.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 312 days to germinate.

69% germination in 312 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Pinellia p. 194Public domain
Show the original text
Pinellia (Araceae). P. ternata germ. 70(69% in 312 d) and 40-70(95% in 8- 10 d). Seed DS 6 m at 70 or 40 gave similar results. Pinguicula (Lent lbulariaceae).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Pinellia p. 194. 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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