MACLEAYA (ma-KLAY-a)
PAPAVERACEAE. Bold perennials from East Asia, with decorative foliage and small flowers in airy clusters. Forms large clumps. Top dress with manure in spring. May need light to germinate.
—Macleaya microcarpa. (c,h) MACL-4. Packet: $2.00
5 grams: $12.00
'PLUME POPPY'. Foot-long panicles of cream flowers with many stamens. Hardy perennial to 4 - 8 feet, with large, round, lobed 8" grey-green leaves, China. The yellow sap has been used like iodine as an antiseptic for cuts. Germinates in 2 - 6 weeks.
MALVA
—Malva mosch. Appleblossom. (c,g) MALA-10P. Packet: $2.00
Soft appleblossom-pink 2" wide flowers from June to September. Hardy perennial to 20", with deeply divided foliage. Europe. Zone 3.
MARAH (MAR-ah)
CUCURBITACEAE. 'MAN ROOT', 'WILD CUCUMBER'. Tendril climbing perennials rising each year from huge roots. Grown for the attractive light green foliage and odd fruits. Caudex plant collectors value the huge roots. Plant seed two or three times its diameter deep, as germination is hypogeal.
—Marah oreganus. (5,h) MARA-12. Packet: $4.00
'OREGON MANROOT'. White 1/2" flowers in 10" racemes. Hardy perennial vine to 20 feet, with large 8" leaves. Fruits non-spiny, with only soft projections. B.C. to California. Similar to M. fabaceus, but much hardier and with larger flowers. Develops huge tubers up to 3 feet wide. Give seed 8 - 12 weeks cold.
MARRUBIUM (ma-ROO-bee-um)
LABIATAE. Bitter aromatic Eurasian perennials. Easy in poor, hot, dry soils and full sun. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks, best at very warm temperatures.
—Marrubium vulgare. (b,h) MARR-10. Packet: $2.00
'HOREHOUND'. White-woolly hardy perennial to 1 - 2 feet, with small crinkled leaves and white flowers in whorls. W. Asia & Mediterranean. Aromatic and bitter. Called 'Seed of Horus' by the ancient Egyptians, it has a long medicinal history, and horehound candy is a popular cold remedy. It contains a powerful anti-viral compound. Used to brew ale.
MELANOSELINIUM (me-LA-no-se-LI-nee-um)
UMBELLIFERAE. Large monocarpic plants grown for the foliage and large umbels of flowers.
—Melanoselinium decipiens. (c,h) MELAN-7. Packet: $2.00
Germination: 95% Tested: 3/08, 10 grams: $9.00
'BLACK PARSLEY'. Giant umbels with multiple heads, to almost 3 feet across, and towering to 7 or 8 feet tall. Tender perennial with large divided leaves. Blooms once, then dies. Rare endemic to Madeira. Zone 9. Best in moist to wet sheltered spots. Good in California. Germinates in 4 - 6 weeks.
MELIA
—Melia Azedarach umbraculifera. (10,h) MELIA-3U. Packet: $2.00
'TEXAS UMBRELLA TREE'. Like the regular chinaberry tree, but with a beautiful rounded crown and drooping, dark green foliage, creating an umbrella-like effect. Fragrant lilac flowers in clusters. Excellent shade tree. Germinates in 4 weeks warm.
MIRBELIA (mir-BEL-ee-a)
LEGUMINOSAE. Australian shrubs with pea-like flowers in yellow-orange or purple.
—Mirbelia dilatata. (b,v) MIRB-7. Packet: $2.00
'HOLLY -LEAF MIRBELIA'. Spikes of purple-mauve flowers at the branch-tips in spring and summer. Large shrub to 12 feet, with wavy, dark green, holly-like leaves and egg-shaped pods. SE Australia. Zone 8. Good in California. Hot water or smoke.
MORUS (MOR-us)
MORACEAE. Wide-ranging deciduous trees grown for their delicious blackberry-like fruits.
—Morus nigra. (b,g) MORU-16. Packet: $2.00
Germination: 74% Tested: 2/08, 5 grams: $9.00
'BLACK MULBERRY'. Sweet, juicy purple-black berries to 1" long. Hardy deciduous tree to 30 feet, with broad 8" leaves. West-central Asia. Zone 5. The berries are good fresh or dried, and the leaves are used to feed silkworms. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
MYRRHIS (MIR-is)
UMBELLIFERAE. A single species.
—Myrrhis odorata. (c,h) MYRR-1. Packet: $2.00
'SWEET CICELY', 'MYRRH'. Sweet-scented, lacy, fern-like foliage and large umbels of white flowers on 2 - 3 foot stems. Europe. The fragrant foliage has a sweet taste and is used as a potherb, in salads, to flavor vinegar, etc. "The leaves taste as if sugar had been sprinkled over them." —Grieve. The roots are eaten in salads or boiled. The chopped green seeds are eaten as flavoring. Plant out 2 feet apart. Will produce for many years. Seed best sown in fall to germinate in spring. If sown in spring, give at least 2 - 4 months cold treatment, and best to freeze a few times during this. Will then germinate in 1 - 3 months. It is absolutely a myth that the seed is only viable a few weeks; it just goes into deep dormancy if not sown right off the plant. I've had high germination from seed one and two years old, and D. Downs reports 3 years.
MYRTILLOCACTUS (mir-til-o-KAK-tus)
CACTACEAE. Mexican columnar cacti.
—Myrtillocactus geometrizans. (d,l) MYRT-7. Packet: $2.00
'BLUE CANDLE', 'PADRE NUESTRO'. Columnar tree-like cactus to 13 feet, with a rounded crown of blue-green, short-spined, 3 - 4" thick arms. Creamy white inch-wide flowers in early summer, followed by blue-purple edible berries called 'garambulo', and much loved in Mexico, fresh or dried. Zone 9. Stands moisture. Germination irregular.
NICOTIANA
—Nicotiana alata Sweet Scented White. (a!,h) NICO-3W. Packet: $2.00
Gram: $8.00, 5 grams: $30.00
'JASMINE TOBACCO'. Very sweet scented pure white trumpet-shaped flowers 3 - 4" long and 1 - 2" wide. Tender perennial to 3 - 4 feet, usually grown as an annual. Brazil. Popular and free blooming. "Fall sown seedlings make excellent pot plants in winter... and are very fragrant." —Ricker. This is the true old-fashioned type, tall and intensely fragrant, which we reproduced from our seed archives.
NOLANA
—Nolana humifusa Little Bells. (c,h) NOLA-12L. Packet: $2.00
10 grams: $7.00
Little bell-shaped light blue flowers with purple veins in the throat, abundantly produced on a creeping half-hardy perennial to 8". Peru. Good in hanging baskets. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
OCIMUM
—Ocimum Basilicum Red Rubin.( a!,h) OCIM-1RR. Packet: $2.00
Germination: 92% Tested: 2/08, Oz: $7.00
Dark purple-red leaves with a good flavor. Bushy plant to 18", a selection from Dark Opal, more compact and stays red longer into the summer.
ONOSMA (on-OS-ma)
BORAGINACEAE. Attractive annual, biennial and perennial herbs with beautiful flowers. Easily grown in sun or part shade in the border or rock garden. Seeds often germinate best at cool (40°F) temps.
—Onosma sorgerae ssp. sorgerae. (e,g) ONOS-24S. Packet: $2.50 Click for photo »
Light yellow nodding 3/4 - 1" tubular flowers in clusters on a hardy perennial to 20", with fuzzy leaves. Turkey. Germinates in 2 - 30 weeks warm or cool.
OPUNTIA (o-PUN-sha)
CACTACEAE. 'PRICKLY PEAR', 'TUNA'. A large genus of cacti ranging from British Columbia to the tip of South America. Most are the classic form with large, flat, oval pads, showy flowers, and red, yellow, or purple edible pear-shaped fruits. Some have round stems. Fast growing and adaptable, some are hardy to 45°F below zero. They like heat, sun, and good drainage. Nice, easy, hardy cacti. Seed often germinates best when several years old. Some species are helped by nicking, cold treatment, or fall sowing. Many germinate quickly with GA-3.
—Opuntia Burbank's 'Spineless'. (d,g) OPUN-BS. Packet: $2.00
A large, nearly spineless prickly pear that makes abundant pads and fruits. To 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Collected at Luther Burbank's Gold Ridge Experiment Farm. Germinates readily in 2 - 3 weeks.
—Opuntia imbricata. (c,v) OPUN-116. Packet: $2.00
'CHAIN LINK CACTUS', 'COYONOSTLI', 'VELAS DE COYOTE'. Slender 8" cylindrical joints with tubercles forming a diamond pattern ('chain link'). Small shrubby tree to 3 - 10 feet, with 3" wide flowers varying from purplish to reddish or yellow, followed by yellow 1 1/2" fruits. Colorado to Mexico. Zone 5. Use GA-3 to germinate.
—Opuntia macrorhiza. (c,v) OPUN-150. Packet: $2.00
Oz: $12.00
Yellow 3" flowers with reddish or purplish centers. Pear-shaped 2 - 6" pads forming prostrate clumps 3 feet wide. South Dakota to Michigan to Texas and California. Zone 5 or 6. Forms potato-like tubers on the roots. Try GA-3 to germinate, hold pots.
—Opuntia violacea v. Santa Rita. (d,v) OPUN-312S. Packet: $2.00
Beautiful round blue-green pads shaded violet, on a prickly pear to 2 - 5 feet tall. Deep yellow 2 - 3" flowers. Arizona. "One of the most ornamental of the Opuntias." —Britton and Rose.
ORIGANUM
—Origanum heracleoticum. (c,h) ORIG-26. Packet: $2.00
'GREEK OREGANO'. Aromatic hardy perennial to 18". Called the best oregano for cooking, going well with tomato sauces. SE Europe. Easy in full sun and poor dry soil. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread." —A. France.
ORNITHOGALUM
—Ornithogalum fimbrimarginatum. (d,g) ORNI-14. Packet: $2.00
White flower-spikes over a long bloom period. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks.
ORYZOPSIS (or-i-ZOP-sis)
GRAMINEAE. Slender Western American perennial bunch grasses grown for ornament, forage and their edible seed. Fresh seed is dormant and does best with 4 weeks cold treatment or light scarification. Old seed gives the best germination. In nature, rodents help the plant by storing the seed, which has been scarified by their teeth. "It is advisable to store for at least one year before planting, and the seed can be stored safely for many years." —Wheeler & Hill, in 'Grassland Seeds'. I will ship aged seed whenever possible.
—hymenoides. (a,v) ORYZ-11. Packet: $2.00
Oz: $6.00
'INDIAN RICEGRASS'. A native Californian bunch grass, forming dense tufts to 2 feet tall, the spikes bearing dark edible seed. W. U.S. The seed was gathered in large quantities and eaten by many tribes in the Western States, ground into flour and made into bread. A valuable livestock forage, over-grazing has seriously reduced native stands. Excellent food plant for arid regions.
OXYTROPIS
—sericea. (b,h) OXYT-228. Packet: $2.00
Colorado origin (brown seed): 5 grams: $7.00 (Germination 88% Tested: 2/08)
Nebraska origin (black seed): 5 grams: $7.00 (Germination: 84% Tested: 3/08)
'WHITE LOCO'. White flowers in 7" spikes, sometimes lilac or purple. Silky hardy perennial with foot-long feathery pinnate leaves. Montana to New Mexico. A lovely plant for the garden, though it causes 'loco' in grazing cattle (no, kids, it doesn't work on people!). Soak, nick hard, to germinate in a week or two.
PACHYCEREUS (pa-kee-SEER-ee-us)
CACTACEAE. Huge columnar cacti, often surpassing the famous 'Saguaro' in size. Likes average soil and plenty of water in hot weather. Germinates best if the seed is treated with Gibberellic acid.
—Pachycereus Pringlei. (b,l) PACH-23. Packet: $2.00
Germination: 22% Tested: 2/08, 1000 seed: $24.00
'CARDON'. The largest cactus, reaching 70 feet tall and 5 feet thick, with 11-17 ribs, and dense spines to 5" long. White 3 1/2" flowers followed by edible fruits. Baja California. The fruits and seeds were eaten by the Indians, and the stems are alleged to have been used in a sacred drink. Germinates in 1 - 2 weeks.
PELARGONIUM
—Pelargonium mollicomum. (e,h) PELA-99. Packet: $2.00
Creamy white flowers with pink or red veining. Tender perennial with aromatic fuzzy leaves. Forms small tubers. S. Africa. Said to have a 'fruity' scent. Germinates in 1 - 3 weeks.
PETALOSTEMON
—Petalostemon candidum. (a,h) PETA-6. Packet: $2.00
'WHITE PRAIRIECLOVER'. White flowers in dense 3 spikes in June and July. Hardy perennial to 1 - 3 feet, with feathery pinnate foliage. Well-drained sunny areas, Saskatchewan to Mississippi. Zone 3. Germinates in a week or so.
PHELLODENDRON (fel-o-DEN-dron)
RUTACEAE. Hardy East Asian deciduous trees grown for their attractive foliage, flowers, and fruit.
—Phellodendron amurenes. (c,h) PHEL-1. Packet: $2.00
'AMUR CORK TREE'. Strongly aromatic glossy dark green pinnate foliage turns yellow in fall. Hardy tree to 50 feet, with corky grey bark, and clusters of small flowers in early summer, followed by small aromatic black berries in fall. N. China and Siberia. Zone 3. Bark used in Chinese medicine. Seed germinates best in warm & dark, prechill helps.
PHYSALIS
—Physalis pruinosa. (b,g) PHYS-72. Packet: $2.00
'STRAWBERRY TOMATO', 'DWARF CAPE GOOSEBERRY'. Small yellow sweet edible fruits in husks, eaten raw or cooked. Spreading annual to 18 - 20" or so, with 1/2" flowers. E. N. America. Good eaten out of hand, in salads, pies, or preserved. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks.
PHYTOLACCA
—Phytolacca dioica. (d,g) PHYO-7. Packet: $2.00
'ELEPHANT TREE', 'LA BELLA SOMBRA' (means 'the beautiful shade'), 'UMBU'. Fast growing evergreen tree with a thick fleshy trunk with wrinkled bark, hence the name. Reaches 60 feet tall with a broad crown 50 feet wide, and a 6 foot thick trunk with large spreading buttresses 2 feet high. Shiny 10" leaves spirally arranged on the branches. White flowers in long pendant racemes, male and female on separate trees, followed by dense clusters of red-black fruits. S. America. A useful shade tree for California and the South. Protect when young, but it will stand some freezing once established. Zone 8 - 9. "Astonishingly rapid growth." —Bailey. Germinates in 6 - 8 weeks or so.
"It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are 20 gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." —Thomas Jefferson.
PICEA (PEE-see-a)
PINACEAE. Attractive N. Hemisphere, conifers with pendulous cones. Grown for ornament or timber. Most soils and zones, and easy from seed.
—Picea Abies. (b,f) PICA-l. Packet: $2.00
'NORWAY SPRUCE'. Handsome, fast-growing tree to 100 - 150 feet, with dark green, shiny, 3/4" needles, and drooping, 7" cones. N. Europe. Zone 1 - 3. Nice conical form when young, and attractive red-brown to grey-purple flaking bark. Hardy and adaptable, good wind break. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks.
—Picea jezoensis. (b,v) PICA-22. Packet: $2.00
'YEZO SPRUCE'. Tree to 150 feet, with short, glossy dark green 3/4" needles, white below. Grey flaking bark and 3" red young cones that turn brown in fall. Japan & N. Asia. Zone 2. Prechill seed 3 weeks, but will give some germination warm.
—Picea likiangensis. (b,h) PICA-26. Packet: $2.00
'LIJIANG SPRUCE'. Tree to 100 feet, with green to blue-green 1/2" needles. Grey scaly bark and 3" cones that may be reddish or purple when young. SW China and Tibet. Zone 7. "In April and May when loaded with its male flowers and brilliant red young cones it is spectacularly beautiful." —Hilliers. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks warm.
—Picea purpurea. (b,g) PICA-44. Packet: $2.00
'PURPLE-CONED SPRUCE'. Tree to 150 feet, with deep green 1/2" needles, blue-green below. Scaly, flaking orange-brown bark and deep violet-purple young cones. China. Zone 5. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks.
PINUS
—Pinus Torreyana. (10,h) PINU-97. Packet: $3.00
'TORREY PINE'. Small round-headed tree to 60 feet, often gnarled in the wild. Stiff dark green 8 - 12" needles and round 6" cones. Rare endemic, only a few thousand trees occur in a small spot on the San Diego coast and on Santa Rosa Island. Large edible seeds. Germinates readily, a prechill helps.
POLASKIA (po-LAS-kee-a)
CACTACEAE. Two columnar Mexican cacti.
—Polaskia Chichipe. (d,h) POLA-6. Packet: $2.00
'CHICHIPE'. Broad-crowned tree-like cactus to 20 feet, with ribbed 4" thick branches and black to grey 1/2" spines. Creamy to yellow-green inch-long flowers followed by delicious round red 1" fruits, called 'chichitunas'. S. Mexico. Zone 9. Quick germination.
POLEMONIUM (po-le-MO-nee-um)
POLEMONIACEAE. Mostly easily grown perennials for the border. Blue, yellow or purplish flowers. Best from fall-sown seed in rich loam. Common kinds germinate in 1 - 4 weeks at warm temperatures. Some kinds may take up to 150 days.
—Polemonium caeruleum Blue Pearl. (b,h) POLE-4. Packet: $2.00
'JACOB'S LADDER', 'CHARITY', 'GREEK VALERIAN'. Gorgeous sky blue 1" drooping flowers with yellow stamens. Hardy perennial to 3 feet, with fern-like foliage. Europe. Likes moist wet ground. Cats are fond of the scent and will roll in the plants. Was used medicinally as an alexipharmic, etc.
—Polemonium pauciflorum. (d,g) POLE-20. Packet: $2.50
Gram: $6.00 BULK OUT OF STOCK - PACKETS ARE AVAILABLE
Click for photo »
'PINE TRUMPETS'. Tubular yellow-tan 1 1/2" trumpets in large clusters on strong stems to 15" tall, from mid-summer to frost. Arizona. Germinates in 2 - 3 weeks.
PRIMULA
—Primula japonica alba. (b,h) PRIM-85A. Packet: $2.50 Click for photo »
White 1 - 1 1/2" flowers in tiered clusters to 18" tall, May & June. Quite hardy perennial with rosettes of foot-long leaves. Japan. Give seed GA-3 or 8 weeks cold.
PROBOSCIDEA (pro-bo-SID-ee-a)
MARTYNIACEAE. Annuals & perennials from the warm Americas, grown for their bold foliage, large bright flowers, and especially the peculiar pods. Best in rich moist soil and full sun, but stands drought well. Germinates in 2 - 4 weeks, and flowers in 15 weeks.
—Proboscidea louisianica. (e,h) PROB-15. Packet: $2.00
'UNICORN PLANT, 'MARTYNIA'. Showy annual to 3 feet across, with large pale lavender 2" wide flowers with orange stripes in the throat, in spikes. Large round leaves up to a foot wide. Peculiar 4 - 6 " pods with two curved horns, useful in dried arrangements. S.E. U.S. Very drought resistant. The young pods are eaten pickled or cooked, and the seeds are edible. The Hopi say the pods draw lightning, and hence rain, so they are never weeded from fields. Strips of the ripe pods are used for black designs in basketry & ceremonial objects.
PRUNUS (PROO-nus)
ROSACEAE. Ornamental flowering trees and shrubs. Many produce edible fruits or nuts. Easily grown, and making a great display of bloom in spring.
—Prunus Lyonii. (5,g) PRUN-76. Packet: $2.00
Oz: $3.00, 1/4 lb: $8.00 (about 14 seeds per ounce)
'CATALINA ISLAND CHERRY'. Maroon to black 1/2 - 1" round cherries with a large stone, eaten fresh, with fine flavor. Tree or shrub to 10 - 45 feet, with large 2 - 5" dark green leaves, and spikes of small white flowers in March to May. Rare species endemic to the Channel Islands off the coast of California. The fruits were prized by the Indians, who also ate the large, nut-like kernel after leaching and boiling. Zone 8, and probably hardy to 0° - 10° F. Germinates in 2 - 5 months, and a prechill may help.
—Prunus serotina. (d,h) PRUN-120. Packet: $2.00 OUT OF STOCK
'BLACK CHERRY', 'RUM CHERRY'. A nice wild cherry to 80 feet, with fragrant white flowers in spring, followed by small purple-black cherries. E. N. America. Good lumber and wildlife food, and the source of medicinal black cherry bark. Zone 3. Give 3 months prechill and hold pots several years.
PSILOSTROPHE (sil-o-STRO-fay)
COMPOSITAE. Southwestern desert wildflowers.
—Psilostrophe cooperi. (b,l) PSIL-6. Packet: $2.00
'PAPER FLOWER. Papery pale yellow 2" wide flowers are persistent on the plant. Shrubby desert perennial to 1 - 2 feet, with narrow, needle-like leaves. Southwest. Germinates in a week.
PUYA (POO-ya)
BROMELIACEAE Over 160 species of terrestrial bromeliads from S. American highlands. Dense rosettes of spiny-margined leaves, some with thickened trunks, and dense, sometimes enormous flower-spikes. One kind has the largest inflorescence known, and another gathers nutrients by entangling birds and even sheep in the leaves!
—Puya mirabilis. (b,l) PUYA-12. Packet: $2.00
Spikes of large, beautiful, three-petaled lime green flowers to 2 - 6 feet tall. Forms a nice rosette of narrow 2 foot leaves. Argentina. Quite striking and beautiful. Germinates in 2 weeks and up.