Where do the sprouts come out?  

All photographs set against a 2mm grid

When I first started, I had no idea where on the seed the germinating root would emerge.

I thought the root on my first date stone might pop out from the end of the seed!

It was only when I had been going for some time that I realised that there are clear bulges or points where the root will come out on many seeds, Like Trachycarpus and Phoenix, and Butia seeds.

When you are brushing the medium off seeds with your fingers, to look for roots, its even possible to break off the root, so its as well to know!  

There are no pictures or even written accounts of germination that I can find, so this section is for beginners like me who don’t know where to expect the root to come out, so don’t know where to look.

This just a start, I intend to add to it now as I get different seeds to germinate.

All the Trachycarpus species I have come across have a kidney or coffee-bean shape, and the sprout comes out on the rounded side where the slight bulge can be seen with a lens

Trachycarpus

fortunei

Phoenix dactylifera seed,

The date ‘stone’ -  sprouts from here..............like this

Seeds with obvious sprout points

Trachycarpus wagnerianus

(A good one to start  or practise with)

Butia capitata

Seed cracked open to show embryo

Germination point

Embryo

Syagrus species

Again these germinate through one of the three ‘holes’ at the one end of the seed.

Its a similar thing in Parajubaeas, though with Parajubaea torallyii var torallyii, sometimes more than one of the embryos germinates - as with Butias.

Seeds with no obvious sprout points

Trithrinax schizophylla

Trithrinax campestris, schizophylla,  and brasiliensis are similar - no obvious sprout point.

Brahea armata

Ptychosperma

The roots of these come out like pieces of creamy ‘wire’, but in this one shown, the shoot and a penetrating tap like root emerge first, always followed by a fibrous root at the side.

Butia yatay

Seed germinates from flat end

Hyphaene

This is a very large seed, shaped like a pear.

(See seed photos)

The germination point is from  the flat end of the seed.

Satakentia luikiuensis

This is a tropical seed and the germination appears to be of a the adjacent type

Dypsis lastelliana

This is a tropical seed and again the germination appears to be of a the adjacent type

Jubaea chilensis

These germinate through one of the three ‘holes’ at the one end of the seed, as shown here.

End of plant label

(gives the scale)

Archontophoenix alexandrae

Germination appears to be of  the adjacent type

A bit like the coco-nut in appearance in that there are three marks at the top of the seed.

Sprouts appear from any of the germination points.

More than one embryo can germinate and emerge, as shown on the right. or more of these points, as there is an embryo under each. Double or triple germinations are possible

Archontophoenix cunninghamia

Has a very similar germination form