Planocarpa sulcata seedlings

Description:

Seedlings of the rare, endemic Planocarpa sulcata (grooved cheeseberry) removed from a germination test. Material sown as stones. Seedlings extracted from stones during test scoring.Tasmania is home to 47 species of stone-fruited Ericaceae, (20 of which are endemic) which typically exhibit deep seed dormancies making them difficult to propagate. Over the last few years the RTBG seedbank has been making a focused effort to try and resolve the germination requirements in this group (subfamily Styphelioideae). 2016-2017 has seen the best results so far, but it is likely that several more years of work will be needed to successfully crack this tricky group.