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Xeronema callistemon

Poor Knights Lily

Family XeronemataceaeGenus Xeronema

A one-sided brush of scarlet stamens among strap-shaped leaves
FlowerMike DickisonCC BY-SA 4.0

About the plant

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

Habit
rhizomatous geophytePlants of the World Online
Flower
RedWikipedia
Native range
New Zealand NorthGBIF 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

  • The Poor Knights lily grows wild only on New Zealand's Poor Knights Islands and Taranga Island, and was discovered in 1924. Its red flower spike looks like a giant bottlebrush. The islands were named for their shape, which recalled a bread dish called Poor Knights Pudding. Wikipedia: Xeronema callistemon

This source reports three treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

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. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

    8%, in the fourth week -- it germinates in the cold.

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

    A further 5%, in the second week.

Germination happens during step 2, in 28 days.

8% germination in 28 days.

8% in the cold and 5% more after the move. Thirteen per cent is the best this one did.

This source doesn't state how long step 1 lasts.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, XeronemaPublic domain
Show the original text
Xeronema (Liliaceae). X. callistemon germ. 40(8% in 4th w)-70(5% in 2nd w) and none in 70D-40 with or without GA-3 treatment.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Xeronema. 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

  1. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

    Deno gives no length for this period; three months is his standard cycle.

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

    Nothing.

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2.

0% germination.

Nothing. Starting warm and in the dark is the wrong way round for this one.

This source doesn't state how long step 2 lasts.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, XeronemaPublic domain
Show the original text
Xeronema (Liliaceae). X. callistemon germ. 40(8% in 4th w)-70(5% in 2nd w) and none in 70D-40 with or without GA-3 treatment.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Xeronema. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Gibberellic acid soak

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

    Deno gives no length for this period; three months is his standard cycle.

  3. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

    Nothing.

about 3 months from start to step 3. Germination happens during step 3.

0% germination.

Nothing, and GA-3 did not change it.

This source doesn't state how long step 3 lasts.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, XeronemaPublic domain
Show the original text
Xeronema (Liliaceae). X. callistemon germ. 40(8% in 4th w)-70(5% in 2nd w) and none in 70D-40 with or without GA-3 treatment.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Xeronema. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; 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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