Seed Gallery (Alaska Ark)

I am taking advantage of my dad’s latest project of collecting seeds from all over the Western United States, by photographing some of the seeds using my Plugable Digital Microscope (a gift from my wonderful husband). Together we’re creating an informal ark of seeds and images!

Below is another gallery of seeds, this time collected from my folk’s garden in Southeast Alaska. As we’ve discussed before, gardening is tricky in Southeast Alaska because of the short growing season (albeit long summer days), and lots of rain, but my mom and dad have a beautiful garden every summer. See: Little House in Southeast Alaska, and Rainforest Gardening.

This time I scrapped the light table to illuminate the seeds from below, but am still experimenting with lighting and focusing techniques from above [compare with Seed Gallery (California Ark)]. These seeds are quite small, so I’m providing individual and group shots. Note that these seeds are not Alaska natives (although there is a native dandelion subspecies—ssp. ceratophorum). Still, the plants are hardy enough to survive the rigors of Southeast Alaska, so they are included in the Alaska ark!

Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove seeds and dried leaf bit; 1/4 inch grid)	Foxglove (group shot)
Leucanthemum x superba (Shasta Daisy seeds and dried flower bit)	Shasta Daisy (group shot)
Taraxicum officinale (Dandelion seeds and parachutes)	Dandelion (group shot)

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Seed Gallery (California Ark)

For the last year or so, my dad (the consummate naturalist and forester) has been working on a seed gathering project. Collecting seeds is a great idea, both for plant propagation in our gardens, and for preservation. Seed banks help preserve genetic diversity, provide a source for plant breeders, protect heritage plant varieties, and provide a seed source in case of natural disasters or war. In my dad’s case, I suspect he is just having pure, science fun!

Here is a gallery of some of the seeds collected throughout California. The pictures are taken with my Plugable Digital Microscope. I’m still working on techniques for using the tool to take botanical photos. In this case, I tried using a light table below the seed, but not sure it adds much (compare with Zooming In).

Pimpenella anisum (Anise)	Encelia farinose (Brittle Bush)
Washingtonia filifera (California Fan Palm)	Yucca brevifolia (Joshua Tree)
Marah macrocarpus (Wild Cucumber)	Unidentified - grass-like plant

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Plant Propagation – Dividing

A couple of months ago we changed our “Birds and Bees” series from sexual reproduction to asexual reproduction (see Plant Propagation– Cuttings, and Plant Propagation – Runners). We learned that asexual reproduction results in an offspring that is a genetic clone of its parent. Some plants produce offsets in the form of a new plant or bulbs.

Gardeners can benefit from these plant habits, by dividing a clump or digging up the bulbs, and replanting. Here are a couple of division projects I worked on this summer, using Jack Kraemer’s Grow Your Own Plants as my inspiration and guide.

Agapanthus spp. (Agapanthus)

I love Agapanthus. Our home came with a good collection of blue and white Agapanthus, and I have encouraged their growth all over the property. Some decry them as being common, and non-native. But I find them amazing and indestructible – thriving in both drought and monsoon.

Agapanthus originated in Southern Africa. They are monocots, and grow in clumps, sometimes even above soil. Periodically I dig up the clumps, and divide them by teasing apart their fleshy roots. They transplant easily to other garden beds, or to containers.

Agapanthus transplants

Agapanthus offsets ready to pull apart

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Crocosmia spp. (Crocosmia)

Our friends, Keith and Beth (both avid gardeners working their steep, terraced backyard) gave us some Crocosmia corms soon after we moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. Beth warned me that the plants are a bit invasive, so I planted them in a large container. Here in the Bay Area, the plants grow, flower, and die back twice a year. They bring a dash of orange color to the back patio when in bloom, and the long, strappy leaves catch the light in a beautiful way.

Crocosmia is native to the grasslands of Southern and Eastern Africa, from South Africa to Sudan. They are monocots, and grow from underground corms (often in chains, with the youngest corm on top and the oldest buried in the soil). The leaves have parallel veins, characteristic of monocots. Periodically I dig up the corms, thinning them out to give the remainder a little more room.

Crocosmia in a container

Crocosmia corms (and seeds)

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This brings our Plant Propagation series to an end for the year. We have barely scratched the surface of the topic, so look for more articles and projects in the future. In the meantime, I encourage you to look for ways to propagate your favorite plants. Redistribute the clones in your own garden, swap them with friends for genetic diversity, or give them away as gifts. You’ll save some money, spread some cheer, and participate in fun and practical science at the same time!