Seed germination and emergence of two Cyrtanthus species

Cyrtanthus is a highly decorative genus from the Amaryllidaceae family consisting of approximately 60 species endemic to the southern and eastern parts of Africa. To optimise sexual propagation methods four consecutive experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of temperature (10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 degrees C), seed age (more than 12 months old, 6-12 months old and less than 6 months old), seed pre-treatment (GA3 application, smoke water soaking, hot water, mechanical scarification and control) and media on the germination of C. mackeniii and C. epiphyticus seed. The best germination was observed at 20 degrees C although it did not differ significantly from other temperature treatments. Younger seed (less than 6 months from harvesting) germinated better than older seed. Seed pre-treatment (including smoke water) applications did not significantly improve the germination percentage and medium did not significantly affect the emergence of seed.