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Sandersonia aurantiaca

Chinese-lantern Lily · Christmasbells · Golden-lily-of-the-valley

Family ColchicaceaeGenus Sandersonia

Three orange lantern-shaped flowers hanging from an arching stem with narrow leaves, against black.
FlowerSAplantsCC BY-SA 4.0

About the plant

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

Habit
bulbous geophyte or helophytePlants of the World Online
Flower
Yellow, orangeWikipedia
Native range
Cape Provinces, Eswatini, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern ProvincesGBIF 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

  • Christmas bells, or Chinese lantern lily, is the only species in its genus. Its corms hold as much of the toxic alkaloid colchicine as the very poisonous Gloriosa superba. Wikipedia: Sandersonia

Two sources report two treatments between them. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

No stated waiting before sowing.

0% germination.

Nothing germinated at 70.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Sandersonia p. 74Public domain
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Sandersonia (Liliaceae). S. aurantiaca had germ. a single seed in 70L and none in 70 GA-3 or 40. It is now found (GZ) that seeds placed outdoors in mid- March germ. in July indicating that OS is required.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Sandersonia p. 74. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; 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 March 8, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 28 days to germinate.

17% germination in 28 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Sandersonia p. 210Public domain
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Sandersonia (Liliaceae). S. aurantiaca germ: 70L(1/6 in 4th w) and none in other treatments despite the seed remaining firm through many cycles.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Sandersonia p. 210. 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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