Expert: C.L. Fornari - 11/6/2010

Question
QUESTION: I put my Devil Claws seeds in a ziplock bag and stored them in the freezer here for next year. Will that harm the seeds or help them to grow? Just wondering.

ANSWER: Mr. Avalanche,
Can I call you Prince?  :-)  I'm assuming that we're talking about Proboscidea louisianica, aka Unicorn plant. Do a google image search on that to see if what you have is the seed pod I'm thinking of. Sometimes common names can be applied to several different plants, so it's possible that one person's Devil's Claw is another's Mother-in-Law's Tongue.  

That said, the seeds of  Proboscidea louisianica are notoriously hard to germinate. It seems that the plant has adapted to have the seeds dormant for years before germination is triggered: useful if you're a seed on the side of a dry, infertile roadside but not so great if you're a gardener who wants to grow the plant. Some try freezing, others scarify (scar or wound) the seed with abrasion, and others maintain that the seed needs a rotting carcass or passing through an animals digestive system (charming!) in order to sprout. But I find no source of data to confirm any of these, and I haven't grown this plant myself.

So the bottom line is, go ahead and plant them, and see what happens! You might experiment and keep some in damp soil and put others in soil that's allowed to dry in between waterings. See what happens, and if you're successful, record what you did and pass it on.

This is the great thing about plants - there is always something new to learn and many ways of growing.

all the best,
C.L.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: You can call Me Prince and it is the White Seeded Devil Claws Proboscidea Hookum or however you spell it. I hope that helped some.  

Answer
Prince
Yes, we're talking about the same plant. hook 'em, or hookum,  is another common name that comes from the shape of the seed pod and how it hooks a ride to new locations on the clothing of people or fur of animals. So the germination information - and the fact that it's difficult - applies.
all the best,
C.L.