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Heterotheca (villosa)

Andrea Kramer
Conservation Scientist
Chicago Botanic Garden - Research
1000 Lake Cook Road
Glencoe, Illinois 60022
847-835-6971
akramer@chicagobotanic.org
http://www.chicagobotanic.org
Family Scientific Name: Asteraceae
Scientific Name: Heterotheca villosa
Common Name: hairy false goldenaster
Species Code: HEVI
Ecotype: wild-collected from Garfield County, Colorado
Propagation Goal: Seeds
Propagation Method: Seed
ProductType: Propagules (seeds, cutings, poles, etc.)
Pre-Planting Treatments: APPROACH: This project aimed to determine optimal germination conditions for species currently used in restoration in the Colorado Plateau, as well as other priority forb species that may be beneficial to include in future restoration efforts. For this study, seeds were plated on 1.5% agar in petri dishes (4 replicates of 25 seeds per treatment) and incubated in growth chambers at Chicago Botanic Garden using six temperature treatments intended to represent different seed sowing times and locations in the Colorado Plateau (treatments are shown as day/night temperatures respectively, using a 12h/12h light/dark cycle):

TREATMENTS:
1) early-spring (4 weeks at 52°F/34°F)
2) winter (12 weeks at 34°F) and early-spring (4 weeks at 52°F/34°F)
3) mid-spring (4 weeks at 59°F/41°F)
4) winter (12 weeks at 34°F) and mid-spring (4 weeks 59°F/41°F)
5) late-spring (4 weeks at 68°F/50°F)
6) winter (12 weeks at 34°F) and late-spring (4 weeks 68°F/50°F)
Establishment Phase: RESULTS: Viable seeds from this wild-collected seed from Garfield County, Colorado had relatively low germination (between 25 and 40% in all treatments) regardless of the imposition of 12 weeks of winter conditions. This suggests that seeds in this species may have different dormancy-break requirements, and seeding timing may not significantly influence germination of sown seed. Additional research is needed to confirm the specific length of conditions needed to break dormancy and allow germination in the maximum number of seeds. Additional research is also needed to determine the extent to which these results are characteristic of the species. The figure at http://tinyurl.com/CBGSeedGerminationHEVI shows the average percent germination and standard deviation of viable seeds for each treatment.

Citation:

Kramer, Andrea T; Foxx, Alicia. 2016. Propagation protocol for production of Propagules (seeds, cutings, poles, etc.) Heterotheca villosa Seeds Chicago Botanic Garden - Research Glencoe, Illinois. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/04/21). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.