megaherbs from seed

[rosa]

I would be grateful to hear from any member who has raised any megaherbs from seed, also from anybody who would like to exchange any other information on megaherbs. Here's my experience so far:
I've grown Bulbinella rossii for many years in the Shetland Islands. My plant came from Mr. Lawson, who ran Jack Drake nursery for a number of years. He'd raised it from seed, collected in the wild and given him by the late David Given, a N.Z. botanist. Division only works in late winter/early spring during cool and damp weather and the moved plants are slow to establish/increase.
I received seed of B. rossii and Anisotome latifolia from N.Z. in spring 2013 and sowed it cold as soon as it arrived. A few A. latifolia germinated late last summer, then turned yellow and died off soon after the first leaves had been formed. I'm hoping that this was some natural process, i.e. the time of year for the plant to die down, rather than some disease or a failing on my part.
I inspected the sowings, left outside over winter,  the other day and quite a few anisotomes have germinated. No sign of B. rossii. We've had a very mild and wet winter, no snow or frost. Wondering if I should give these sowings a 'cold' spell and at what temperature?

[Lesley Cox]

I can't help at all with any information here but did once raise a few Stilbocarpa from seed from Invermay Agricultural Research Centre here near Dunedin. I no longer have them but they are occasionally seen in Dunedin gardens and I believe the Dunedin Botanic Gardens have some. (I saw some a few days ago and I think that was where they were.) You could maybe contact DBG for information and perhaps seed. They have also had plantings of the pink-flowered giant Anisotome too, a spectacular plant in bloom. You are very lucky to have Bulbinella rossii which does grow in the occasional garden on the far south coast of NZ, brought back so far as I know by fishermen, from the subantarctic island but all these species are strongly protected now as are the islands themselves.

David Given was a much respected botanist here, a man held in great affection by his colleagues and friends. I couldn't claim to be one as I didn't know him well enough but he was one of my nursery's customers over the years before he died, much too young and a great loss to the NZ plant community.

[Margaret]

Just looked up Bulbinella rossii and see that Plant World Seeds has stock.

http://www.plant-world-seeds.com/store/view_seed_item/3172?itemname=BULBINELLA+ROSSII

[rosa]

Thanks Margaret,
I know about this. Have tried B. rossii seed from commercial sources twice before, paid a fortune and had zero germination. Still hopeful about my present sowings - inspecting them with a magnifying glass at least once a day....... such is passion - or is it impatience?

[johnw]

Rosa  - It is so heartening to hear that you are having luck and the megaherbs are growable elswhere.   What an inbcredible group they are, everyone should google images of them.  The plants certainly need some backups off island and out of hemisphere.

An Irish friend loaned me a book on Campbell Island but darned if I can find the title.

johnw

[Jeffnz]

I tried to source NZ megaherb seed for a northern hemisphere freind a few yeras ago only to find that were restrictions on collection and distribution of seed.

[Paul T]

I'm unfamiliar with the term "megaherb".  Anyone have a simple and easy description for me?

Thanks.  Always good to learn something new.

[johnralphcarpenter]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megaherb

[Maggi Young]

A term given to some giant plants endemic to the  New Zealand Islands - basically giant forms of plants that are seen elsewhere in much reduced scale.

 This is interesting, I think :  https://www.plantexplorers.com/explorers/biographies/hooker/megaherbs.htm

Edit : Think "wooly mammoth"  of plant world!

[Paul T]

Thanks to both of you for those links.  Very useful the both of them.

Fascinating to see the re-emergence of so many plants that were thought lost.  Great to see so much success.

[David Lyttle]

New Zealand subantarctic megaherbs are extremely difficult to grow. They require cool, moist and basically frost-free conditions. The large leaves are thought to be an adaptation to low light intensity; ie when it is drizzling or blowing most of the year there is not a lot of ambient sunlight. It is not possible to collect seed from the wild and our Department of Conservation severely discourages people from doing so. Stilbocarpa is in cultivation but seed is seldom available and is difficult to germinate. Anisotome latifolia and Bulbinella rossii have been successfully grown in Dunedin but the east coast of the South Island often experiences summer drought which usually kills these plants. Because of this seed is not readily available.

However the Chatham Island for-get-me not (Myosotidium hortensia) is easy to grow and seed is readily available. It qualifies as a megaherb.  Another plant that may be worth trying is Myosotis capitata, a subantarctic forget-me not with blue flowers. If you stretch the definition a bit plants like Ranunculus lyallii and Celmisia semicordata may also be considered megaherbs. Another plant that could fit the definition and is easy to source and grow is Aciphylla dieffenbachii from the Chatham Islands.

Unfortunately Anisotome latifolia is evergreen so your plants have died.                   

[Anthony Darby]

Garden centres in Auckland always have the Chatham Island for-get-me-not (Myosotidium hortensia), but I seem to have acquired the required skill to kill each one I have tried to grow. 

[Mark Griffiths]

fascinating things! The only one I've seen is the Chatham Island for-get-me-not at the Oxford Botanic Gardens (and maybe at Wisley)

[Lesley Cox]

Paul, the Wikipedia entry says it all really. In general we here think of the megaherbs as inhabitants of the subantarctic islands, as David says, as does the article in Wikipedia but mega being big, the Myosotidium also qualifies though we don't seem here, to apply the term to it. Perhaps because it IS so easy to grow while the others, if available at all, are the very devil.

There are also many much smaller species on the subantarctic island such as Gentianella and others and Myosotis capitata which is glorious and I've found it very easy to grow and flower but virtually monocarpic. The gentianellas come in wonderful colours not usually associated with NZ natives. All, along with the megaherbs are highly protected nowadays so a source of seed is, I imagine, non-existant.

As for the Chatham Island forget-me-not, I have clumps in my new garden under camellias where they were moist in the spring and early summer but now are bone dry. During the day they wilt (helped no doubt by 3 chooks scratching among them) but overnight they perk up to be fresh and crisp again by morning. This same area has an enormous pear tree (the blackbirds are eating those way before they are ripe) among whose branches Tropaeolum speciosum is making sheets of flame at present. First, and unexpected frrost this morning! 

[Paul T]

Frost already Lesley?  Yikes!  When it your first frost normally?

I've recently bought a Chatham Island Forgetmenot to have another attempt at not killing it.  I've had no successful attemps at this so far.  I know of someone up in the southern highlands grows it in their shady bog garden where it seeds around.  I wish!!  I have no shady bog garden though.