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Schizanthus grahamii

Poor Man's Orchid

Family SolanaceaeGenus Schizanthus

An upright plant of fine ferny leaves crowded with lilac-pink flowers, each with a yellow-and-brown patterned throat, among gray rocks.
FlowerJosh NoseworthyCC BY-SA 4.0

About the plant

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

Habit
annual or biennialPlants of the World Online
Flower
Lilac-pinkRead from the photograph on this page

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; Read from the photograph on this page — Deno's Garden.

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 September 17, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on September 16, 2026.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 180 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 6 months from start to sowing. Germination time not stated; 21 days assumed.

63% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Schizanthus p. 211Public domain
Show the original text
Schizanthus (Solanaceae). Both species hadgermination inhibited by light. The survival benefits of this are discussed in Chapter 11. The commercial. hybrids did not show this behavior. S. grahami. The above data is for seeds DS 3 m at 40. A second sample that had been DS for 6 m at 40 germ. 70D(63%) and 70L(3%) confirming the inhibitory effect of light.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Schizanthus p. 211. 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 Very high Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around September 17, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on September 16, 2026.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 180 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

about 6 months from start to sowing. Germination time not stated; 21 days assumed.

3% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Schizanthus p. 211Public domain
Show the original text
Schizanthus (Solanaceae). Both species hadgermination inhibited by light. The survival benefits of this are discussed in Chapter 11. The commercial. hybrids did not show this behavior. S. grahami. The above data is for seeds DS 3 m at 40. A second sample that had been DS for 6 m at 40 germ. 70D(63%) and 70L(3%) confirming the inhibitory effect of light.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Schizanthus p. 211. 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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