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Townsendia (alpigena)

Tara Luna
USDI NPS - Glacier National Park
West Glacier, Montana 59936
(406) 888-7835
http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/azpmc
Family Scientific Name: Asteraceae
Family Common Name: Sunflower family
Scientific Name: Townsendia alpigena Piper. alpigena Piper.
Common Synonym: Townsendia montana M.E. Jones
Common Name: Mountain Townsendia
Species Code: TOWALP
Ecotype: Alpine slope, southwestern Montana
General Distribution: T. alpigena var. alpigena is found from southwest Montana across central Idaho to the Wallowa Mountains, Oregon, south to Wyoming and Utah.
Propagation Goal: plants
Propagation Method: seed
ProductType: Container (plug)
Stock Type: 172 ml conetainers
Time To Grow: 6 Months
Target Specifications: Height: 4 cm, 6 to 10 true leaves<br> Caliper: n/a<br> Root System: firm plug in 172 ml conetainer.
Propagule Collection: Seeds are hand collected in late August when achenes turn gray and are easily removed from the disc.
Seeds are collected in paper bags and kept in a well ventilated drying shed prio to cleaning.
Propagule Processing: Seeds are hand cleaned using screens.
Seed longevity is estimated at 5 to 7 years.
Seed dormancy is classified as non deep physiological dormancy.
Seeds/Kg:1,200,000/kg
% Purity: 100%
% Germination: 50%
Pre-Planting Treatments: Dry storage of seed for 5 months.
Growing Area Preparation/
Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:		 Greenhouse; 22C/13C day/night temperature cycle.
Sowing Method: Direct Seeding. Seeds are covered with media.
Growing media used is 6:1:1 milled spaghnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite 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 172 ml conetainer.
Establishment Phase: Media is kept slightly moist during germination. Initial germination appeared uniform. Do not over water seedlings.
Length of Establishment Phase: 4 weeks
Active Growth Phase: Root and shoot development occurs rapidly following germination. Plants were fertilized with 20-10-20 liquid NPK fertilizer at 100 ppm during the growing season.
Length of Active Growth Phase: 16 weeks
Hardening Phase: Irrigation is gradually reduced in September and October. Plants are leached with clear water and fertilized with 10-20-20 liquid NPK fertilizer at 200 ppm.
Length of Hardening Phase: 4 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: Total Time To Harvest:6 months
Harvest Date: July
Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor nursery under insulating foam cover and snow.
Length of Storage: 5 months
References: Flora of the Pacific Northwest,Hitchcock and Cronquist, 7th edition, University of Washington Press, 1973.
Seeding Rate Statistics for Native and Introduced Species, Hassell, Wendel, U.S.D.I. and U.S.D.A., April 1996.
Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, Baskin and Baskin, Academic Press, 1998.
Glacier National Park Propagation Records, unpublished.

Citation:

Luna, Tara; Evans, Jeff; Wick, Dale. 2001. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Townsendia alpigena Piper. plants 172 ml conetainers; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/11/21). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.