Native Plants
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Monday - September 12, 2011
From: Orlando, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Propagation, Seeds and Seeding, Vines
Title: Seed planting of Crossvine from Orlando FL
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Seed planting of Bignonia capreolata - Tangerine Beauty. I have seed pods. Do I plant how deep and should I put in a plastic bag with a wet papertowel in the refrigerator and let it sprout? Do I sow now in September and transplant to soil in March? I live in Orlando FL.ANSWER:
From our Native Plant Database page on Bignonia capreolata (Crossvine):
"Propagation
Propagation Material: Root Cuttings , Seeds , Softwood Cuttings
Seed Collection: Collect the large, woody capsules from late summer through fall when they are light brown and beginning to dry. Seeds remain viable one year in sealed, refrigerated containers.
Seed Treatment: Seed requires no pretreatment.
Commercially Avail: yes
Maintenance: Training to avoid crowding of stems will aid in the formation of flower shoots. Branches can be cut back in the spring to encourage flowering."
We noticed that you referred to "Tangerine Beauty." This may just be a trade name assigned by the growers to make the plant more attractive to buyers. Some of the information we found referred to it as a cultivar, which hopefully means that it has been selected for the color. If it were a hybridized plant, the seeds would not breed true to the color; in fact, they still might not. Since it will probably be two to three seasons after planting seeds before blooms appear, you might find that, after the plant is well established, you are not getting the color blooms you expect. A sure-fire way to get the same color is to go the root or softwood cuttings route for propagation, which will produce clones of the original plant. From North Carolina State University here are instructions on Plant Propagation by Stem Cuttings (which includes softwood cuttings) as well as Plant Propagation by Leaf, Cane and Root Cuttings.
As you can see from the pictures below, there are several degrees of difference in the coloring of the primary plant.
From the Image Gallery
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