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Cleome (lutea)

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: Capparaceae
Scientific Name: Cleome lutea Hook.
Common Name: yellow spiderflower
Species Code: CLLU2
Ecotype: wild collected from Uinta County, Utah
Propagation Goal: Seeds
Propagation Method: Seed
ProductType: Propagules (seeds, cutings, poles, etc.)
Time To Grow: Weeks
Propagule Collection: Seeds of Success collection
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) then 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) then mid-spring (59°F/41°F)
5) late-spring (4 weeks at 68°F/50°F)
6) winter (12 weeks at 34°F) then late-spring (68°F/50°F)
Establishment Phase: RESULTS: Viable seeds from this Seeds of Success collection from Uinta County, Utah germinated to 75% or more in all three treatments that imposed 12 weeks of winter conditions (treatments 2, 4, 6). Treatments without winter conditions (treatments 1, 3, 5) had very little to no germination (0-5%). This suggests that seeding during late winter or early spring will not provide sufficient dormancy breaking to allow seeds to germinate. Additional research is needed to confirm the specific length of winter conditions needed to break dormancy and allow germination. The figure at http://tinyurl.com/CBGSeedGerminationCLLU shows the average percent germination and standard deviation of viable seeds for each treatment. Note that separate research found that the number of days in cold stratification required for germination varied significantly by the source population (Hintz et al. 2016).
References: Hintz, L., A. Foxx, M. Eshleman, T. E. Wood, and A. T. Kramer. 2016. Population differentiation in early life history traits of Cleome lutea var. lutea in the Intermountain West. Western North American Naturalist 76: 6-17.

Citation:

Foxx, Alicia; Kramer, Andrea T. 2015. Propagation protocol for production of Propagules (seeds, cutings, poles, etc.) Cleome lutea Hook. Seeds Chicago Botanic Garden - Research Glencoe, Illinois. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/04/30). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.