Lewisia (pygmaea)

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

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Family Scientific Name:	Portulacaceae
Family Common Name:	Bitterroot family
Scientific Name:	Lewisia pygmaea (Gray) Robins
Common Name:	Dwarf lewisia
Species Code:	LEWPYG
Ecotype:	Glacier National Park,1585m elev., Montana
General Distribution:	L. pygmaea occurs in moist to dry places in the mountains to above tree line; Cascade and Olympic mountains of Washington, south to California, east to Montana, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	490 ml containers
Time To Grow:	7 Months
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Container seedling<br> Height: 6 to 10 true leaves, 4 cm<br> Caliper: n/a<br> Root System: firm plug in container.
Propagule Collection:	Seeds are collected in mid summer when the corolla turns papery and the disseminule breaks away from the stem. The development and ripening of the seeds occurs over a 2 to 3 week period. Seeds are shiny black at maturity.ÿÿ
Propagule Processing:	Seeds are hand cleaned at the nursery. Seed Storage is at least 5 years under cool, dry conditions. Seed dormancy is classified as physiological dormancy. Seeds/Kg: unknown % Purity: 100% % Germination: N/A
Pre-Planting Treatments:	60 to 90 day cold, moist stratification. Seeds are placed in moist paper towels inserted into an opened zip-lock bag and placed in the refrigerator at 1 to 3 C. Germination occurs in early spring at temperatures slightly above freezing to 10C.ÿ
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Outdoor nursery growing facility. Growing medium 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 2 grams of Osmocote and 1.0 gram of Micromax per 490 ml conetainer. Conetainers are filled and sown in late fall and irrigated thoroughly prior to winter stratification. Seedlings germinate in spring under fluctuating outdoor temperatures and are grown under full sun exposure. 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 14 days after sowing under cool fluctuating temperatures during early spring. True leaves appeared 3 weeks after germination.
Length of Establishment Phase:	6 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Plants produced 4 to 6 true leaves and reached flowering maturity the first year. Plants are root tight in 490 ml containers by fall.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	16 weeks
Hardening Phase:	Irrigation frequency is gradually reduced in September and October.
Length of Hardening Phase:	4 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Total Time To Harvest: 7 months Harvest Date: September Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor nursery under insulating foam and snow cover.
Length of Storage:	5 months
Other Comments:	There are 2 botanical varieties: var. pygmaea, and var. nevadensis.
References:	Bitterroot, DeSanto,J., Lere Press, 1993. Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, Univ. of Washington Press, 7th printing, 1973. Glacier Park Native Plant Nursery Propagation Records, unpublished. Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Edition, Deno, Norman, publ. 1993. Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, Baskin and Baskin, Academic Press, 1998.

Citation:

Luna, Tara; Evans, Jeff; Wick, Dale. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Lewisia pygmaea (Gray) Robins plants 490 ml containers; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. 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.