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Sparaxis parviflora

Harlequin Flower

Family IridaceaeGenus Sparaxis

A single flower with two white upper petals and three yellow lower petals on a thin stem, buds below
FlowerKaren EichholzCC BY 4.0

About the plant

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

Habit
tuberous geophytePlants of the World Online
Flower
White, yellowRead from the photograph on this page
Native range
Cape 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; Read from the photograph on this page — Deno's Garden; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • The tiny satinflower is endemic to the fynbos and strandveld around Saldanha Bay, from Saldanha to Darling, in eight to ten subpopulations. It has lost habitat to crop farming and invasive plants. Wikipedia: Sparaxis parviflora

Protocol

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1998

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 180 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

about 6 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2, in 21 days.

11% germination in 21 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1998 · 2nd Supplement, Synnotia p. 64Public domain
Show the original text
Synnotia (Iridaceae). Their is some indication that 3 m in 70L before shifting to 40 gives better germination than either 40 direct or 70D-40. Also DS for 1 y improved germination in the one species in which it was tried. More work is needed to confirm these provisional conclusions. S. parviflora DS 6 m germ. 70D{1/9 in 12th w)-40(1/9 in 3rd w).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement, 2nd Supplement, Synnotia p. 64. 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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