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Matthias
| | Posted on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 04:13 am EST : |   
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Thought I`d like to continue Terry´s good tradition of posting a few seedling photos from time to time while they develop in my basement under lights.
I sowed Tim´s seeds in August into small pots (5 x 5 cm) one seed per pot and kept them together with my hellebore seeds in a cool and shady place in the garden. First germination started in mid October. Since beginning of November I have taken them inside for more constant temperatures of 15 to 18°C and much better light (10 000 Lumen lights). They are growing very well and with C. hederifolium I have had 100% germination already. I sowed into individual pots so I don´t have to disturb them at all from seed to first flower.
The following photos of C. hederifolium seedlings are representative of what I have got from Tim´s seed from Silver Leaf (Nettleton Silver?). While I would never give them a cultivar name regardless how closely they may resemble any culivar I am very pleased with what they are promising to be in a few years. The ratio of 4 silver leaves to 1 patterned green one is representative. Number 4 is the best sparkling silver in better light. I´m amazed how the cotyledons (are they?) already display these patterns.
Matthias
- Southern Germany,
Zone "7"
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Terryk
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 06:21 am EST : |
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He!He! Tim are you sitting reading this thinking what I am? Another cyclamen addict has joined our ranks!
All kidding aside, Matthias that is what I found to be so exciting about growing my cyclamen seed last year too. Instantly from the day the one cotyledon emerges from the soil and unfurls it's leaf, they show the promise of what is to come. Your camera skills are fantastic, as I know they can be so tiny and hard to capture their beauty.
That it a great idea of sowing one seed per pot, I am just transplanting some tubers from last year that remained in the same pot (I got a bit overwhelmed and neglected to do it on time) and the roots were all growing together. I don't see how it is recommended by most not to transplant the tubers earlier as Tim recommends. You should have no set backs with transplanting.
Keep us posted as they grow.
Terryk
- NY,
Zone "6"
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Tim
| | Posted on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 09:37 am EST : |
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Mmmm... but are cyclamen monocots or dicots? Primulaceae are dicots (as far as I know), but cyclamen show only one visible seed leaf. Could it be that there is another which doesn't appear above ground? I don't know enough about this off of the top of my head, so will have to investigate.
I never had any doubt that Matthias has impeccable taste in plants, Terry - after all, he loves hellebores...
Tim
- Cambridgeshire,
Zone "7 "
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Terryk
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 09:54 am EST : |
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Tim wrote on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 07:37 am:Could it be that there is another which doesn't appear above ground? I don't know enough about this off of the top of my head, so will have to investigate.
And did you find your answer Tim? You know you know the answer is yes, you wrote me back in October of last year and enlightened me with the following:
"It's not actually the seed which swells to form the tuber - a leafshoot forms from the seed and works its way towards the compost surface, and the tuber is formed when a swelling occurs at the base of the leafshoot, the stalk if you like. All clever stuff!"
Terryk
- NY,
Zone "6"
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Matthias
| | Posted on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 10:04 am EST : |
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Cyclamen are dicots and my suspicion/theory is that what appears to be one cotyledon factually are two cotyledons on two pedicels which are fused along one axis and take the shape of one leaf. I have never found anything better than what Grey-Wilson says that they are dicots with just one cotyledon, an explanation which I cannot be content with. If you observe the cotyledon pedicels very closely you will see a narrow cleft along the axis (compare photos 3 and 4). This may be the remainder of what once were two pedicels.
Matthias
- Southern Germany,
Zone "7"
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Terryk
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 11:42 am EST : |
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So Matthias you feel that the left side and the right side of the leaf were once two pedicals?
Terryk
- NY,
Zone "6"
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Matthias
| | Posted on Sunday, November 13, 2005 - 07:53 am EST : |
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Yes, Terry that is what I believe unless we can detect some microscopically tiny undeveloped leaf bud that would normally form the second cotyledon. But this undeveloped bud would have to sit at the base of the pedicel, because the first "true" leaves also develop from the growing point there ...
What we see is the left half of cotyledon A and the right half of cotyledon B. Both are fused along their mutual central axis. This would be explainable by factors of cell biology. As I said, I have no proof of this, but it is the only plausible explanation for the fact that a dicot only has "one" cotyledon.
Matthias
- Southern Germany,
Zone "7"
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Terryk
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Sunday, November 13, 2005 - 09:09 am EST : |
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What about Tim's explanation Matthias? I have been reading my book but don't see anything to shed more light on the subject.
Tim can you give us some help as to how you came to the conclusion you did? I could not find much on the cyclamen society's web site either. Have you studied them with an electron microscope and discovered something we just can't see with the naked eye?
Terryk
- NY,
Zone "6"
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Tim
| | Posted on Sunday, November 13, 2005 - 09:39 am EST : |
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No Terry, I haven't done any in depth study on the subject. My conclusion was easily reached - Primulaceae are dicots, but cyclamen appear to have only one visible cotyledon, so I thought perhaps there was another that wasn't visible. I think that Matthias' explanation is far more likely.
Tim
- Cambridgeshire,
Zone "7 "
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Terryk
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Sunday, November 13, 2005 - 09:40 am EST : |
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Thanks Tim.
Terryk
- NY,
Zone "6"
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