Sunday, February 21, 2010

Sinningia Seed Surprise

It may sound like a new "hot dish" (as opposed to casserole, for us Minnesotans) but it is what happens when you go to clean your plant shelves. You find that your inattentiveness has made the Sinningia flowers you hand-pollinated form seed, ripen and then spill out from the pod and land on the Sinningia's leaf. All this without the benefit of even an email to let you know it's happening. Surprise!


The photos show the pods, the fact that the pods sprung open and let the seed fall, the leaf that the seed dropped onto and the actual seed itself.
I wish I had the proper equipment to take the photos correctly with the use of the microscope. As it is, this is an attempt at a little more magnification. Gesneriad seeds are supposed to be tiny; smaller than a fleck of pepper. I've always been trying to see just what the seeds look like though. What color are they, what shape are they.... Well, in this case, this Sinningia's seed is orange and long and sort of shaped like a narrowed Christmas bulb.  I'm going to see if some of them will germinate after taking them to the Twin Cities Gesneriad Society's meeting next Tuesday. Guests are always welcome to come to a gesneriad club meeting and join in.