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Oxytropis (sericea)

Tara Luna
USDI NPS - Glacier National Park
West Glacier, Montana 59936
(406) 888-7835
http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/azpmc

Family Scientific Name: Fabaceae
Family Common Name: Pea Family
Scientific Name: Oxytropis sericea Nutt.
Common Synonym: Oxytropis spicata (Hook.) Standl.
Common Name: Silky crazyweed
Species Code: OXYSER
Ecotype: Fescue grassland, 1450m elev., Cutbank Valley
General Distribution: O. sericea is a Rocky Mountain species that occurs from northern B.C. to central Idaho, western Montana south to Texas and New Mexico and northeastern Nevada; from prairies to subalpine meadows and ridges.
Propagation Goal: plants
Propagation Method: seed
ProductType: Container (plug)
Stock Type: 160 ml conetainers
Time To Grow: 8 Months
Target Specifications: Height: 6 to 8 true leaves, 6 cm<br> Caliper: n/a<br> Root System: firm plug in conetainer.
Propagule Collection: Seeds are hand collected in late August when the legumes dry and begin to dehisce. Seeds are black at maturity. Pods are collected in paper bags and are kept in a well ventilated drying shed prior to cleaning.
Propagule Processing: Seeds are cleaned with a hammermill followed by office clipper at NRCS.
Seed longevity: will retain viability for 5 to 10 years at 1 to 3C in sealed containers.
Seed dormancy is classified as physical dormancy.
Seeds/Kg: 594,000/kg
% Purity: 100%
% Germination: 85%
Pre-Planting Treatments: Hot water scarification for 5 to 10 seconds. Seeds are immediately transferred to cold water to imbibe in cold water for 24 hours. Following scarification, seeds are placed into a 60 to 90 day cold, moist stratification at 1 to 3 C.
Inoculation of imbibed seeds with Rhizobium enhances growth and development of seedlings.
Growing Area Preparation/
Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:
Greenhouse and outdoor nursery growing facility.
Sowing Method: Direct Seeding. Seeds are covered with medium.
Growing medium used is 70% 6:1:1 milled sphagnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite and 30% sand with Osmocote controlled release fertilizer (13N:13P2O5:13K2O; 8 to 9 month release rate at 21C) and Micromax fertilizer (12%S, 0.1%B, 0.5%Cu, 12%Fe, 2.5%Mn, 0.05%Mo, 1%Zn) at the rate of 1 gram of Osmocote and 0.20 gram of Micromax per conetainer.
Greenhouse temperatures are maintained at 21 to 25C during the day and 16 to 18C at night. Seedlings are hand watered an remain in greenhouse until mid May. Seedlings are then moved to outdoor nursery for the remainder of the growing season.
Seedlings are irrigated with Rainbird automatic irrigation system in early morning until containers are thoroughly leached.
Average growing season of nursery is from late April after snowmelt until October 15th.
Establishment Phase: Seedlings emerge 2 weeks after outdoor temperatures reach 21C during the day. Following establishment, seedlings must dry down slightly between irrigations.
Length of Establishment Phase: 4 weeks
Active Growth Phase: Seedlings are fertlized with 20-10-20 liguid NPK fertilizer at 50 ppm during the active growth stage. Seedlings are root tight in conetainers 9 weeks after germination.
Length of Active Growth Phase: 12 weeks
Hardening Phase: Plants are fertilized with 10-20-20 liquid NPK at 200 ppm in early fall; irrigation is gradually reduced through the fall. One final irrigation is applied before overwintering.ΓΏ
Length of Hardening Phase: 4 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: Total Time To Harvest:8 months
Harvest Date: September
Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor nursery under insulating foam and snow cover.
Length of Storage: 5 months
Other Comments: Vegetative Propagation Method: Divisions, not tried. Ramet divisions can be done from established nursery stock.
References: Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, Univ. of Washington Press, 7th printing,1990.
Glacier Park Native Plant Nursery Growth Records, unpublished.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Edition, Deno, N., publ. June, 1993.
Seeding Rate Statistics for Native and Introduced Species, N.P.S. and N.R.C.S., Denver Service Center, Hassell, W., April 1996.
Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, Baskin and Baskin, Academic Press, 1998.

Citation:

Luna, Tara. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Oxytropis sericea Nutt. plants 160 ml conetainers; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/03/29). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.