Arnica (sororia)
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Dave Skinner PMC Farm Manager USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center Room 211A Hulbert Hall WSU Pullman, Washington 99164-6211 509-335-9689 509-335-2940 (fax) abbie@wsu.edu http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/wapmc |
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| Family Scientific Name: | Asteraceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Sunflower | ||
| Scientific Name: | Arnica sororia Greene | ||
| Common Name: | Foothills arnica | ||
| Species Code: | ARSO4 | ||
| Ecotype: | Pullman area, Paradise Creek drainage | ||
| General Distribution: | Western US east to Montana and south to Utah and California. Usually in open meadows and prairies to middle elevation in the mountains. | ||
| Propagation Goal: | plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | seed | ||
| ProductType: | Container (plug) | ||
| Time To Grow: | 6 Months | ||
| Target Specifications: | Tight root plug in container | ||
| Propagule Collection: | Seed is collected when the pappus expands, usually in late July or early August. Seed is stored in paper bags at room temperature until cleaned. Seed is wind disseminated. but does not blow away easily. | ||
| Propagule Processing: | Pappus is difficult to remove by hand methods, but seed can be planted with pappus attached. Rubbing seed over a 10 mesh screen helps remove pappus and separate seeds. It can then be cleaned with an air column separator. A hammermill would probably work well on larger volumes. Clean seed is stored in controlled conditions at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 40% relative humidity. | ||
| Pre-Planting Treatments: | Seed germination will approach 50% without pretreatment, but there is a dormancy associated with some of the seed which can be overcome with cool, moist stratification of 60-90 days. | ||
| Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops: |
In November seeds are planted in 10 cu. in. Ray Leach Super cell conetainers filled with Sunshine #4. Seeds are covered lightly with medium. A thin layer of pea gravel is applied to prevent seeds and medium from floating. Conetainers are watered thoroughly. Cold, moist stratification is provided by placing conetainers outdoors for 2-3 months. Containers are moved to a greenhouse after stratification. | ||
| Establishment Phase: | Containers are moved to the greenhouse in early January. Germination usually begins in 7 days and is mostly complete 15 in days. A few seeds will germinate as much as 6 weeks later. | ||
| Length of Establishment Phase: | 2 weeks | ||
| Active Growth Phase: | Plants are watered deeply every other day and fertilized once per week with a complete, water soluble fertilizer containing micro-nutrients. | ||
| Length of Active Growth Phase: | 3 months | ||
| Hardening Phase: | Plants are moved to the cold frame in late March or early April, depending on weather conditions. They are watered every other day if the weather is cool, and every day during hot, dry spells. | ||
| Length of Hardening Phase: | 2-4 weeks | ||
| Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: | Ungerminated and late germinating containers may be held in a lath house during the summer and planted out in the fall or the following spring. | ||
| References: |
Flora of the Pacific Nortwest. Hitchcock and Cronquist. University of Washington Press. 1973. USDA, NRCS. 2001. The PLANTS Database, version 3.1. (http://plants.usda.gov) National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA. 70874-4490 |
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Citation:
Skinner, David M,. 2004. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Arnica sororia Greene plants USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center Pullman, Washington. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/04/03). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.
