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Sanguisorba officinalis

Great Burnet · Burnet Bloodwort · Official Burnet

Family RosaceaeGenus Sanguisorba

Many small oval, dark crimson flower heads held on thin, branching stems against a soft green blur
FlowerКирилл ЗенинCC BY 4.0
A plate of dark red button flower heads on tall stalks above ferny leaflets, with a thick red rootstock, two dissected flowers and a seed.
IllustrationCarl Axel Magnus LindmanPublic domain

About the plant

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

Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, Forb/herbPLANTS Database
Flower
Purple, red, pink, whiteFlora of China
Native range
Alaska, Albania, Altay, Amur, Austria, Baltic States 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

  • An important food plant for two of Europe's large blue butterflies. Its extensive roots are used to control erosion and to reclaim derelict sites such as landfills. Wikipedia: Sanguisorba officinalis

This source reports three treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

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

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 14 days to germinate.

45% germination in 14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Sanguisorba p. 210Public domain
Show the original text
Sanguisorba (Rosaceae). S. officinalis germ. 70L(45% in 2nd w), 70D(15% in 2nd w), 70 GA-3(36% in 2nd w). Data are for only the first six w.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Sanguisorba 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.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

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

  1. Gibberellic acid soak

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 14 days to germinate.

36% germination in 14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Sanguisorba p. 210Public domain
Show the original text
Sanguisorba (Rosaceae). S. officinalis germ. 70L(45% in 2nd w), 70D(15% in 2nd w), 70 GA-3(36% in 2nd w). Data are for only the first six w.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Sanguisorba 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.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

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

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 14 days to germinate.

15% germination in 14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Sanguisorba p. 210Public domain
Show the original text
Sanguisorba (Rosaceae). S. officinalis germ. 70L(45% in 2nd w), 70D(15% in 2nd w), 70 GA-3(36% in 2nd w). Data are for only the first six w.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Sanguisorba 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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