Rhodiola rhodantha seeds, really rare!

 

Rhodiola rhodantha belongs to the family of the Crassulaceae, the orpine family. It is native to the Rocky Mountains in the USA. There it occurs until 2700 m above sea level. Rhodiola rhodantha was first categorized as Sedum rhodantha and later as Clementsia rhodantha. Today it is known and accepted as Rhodiola rhodantha in systematic. It is also known as Queen’s Crown. R. rhodantha is a small, perennial plant. It reaches a height of nearly half a meter. The leaves are small and succulent. They are lanceolate and have no petiole. So they are sitting directly at the shoot. They alternate and are tightly next to each other. The leaves at the top are reddish when they get older whereas the leaves at the bottom stay green. The leaves of R. rhodantha can be eaten raw in a salad or cooked. The flowers of R. rhodantha are rose to reddish, hermaphrodite and are clustered in Inflorescences. The blooming time starts in July and ends in September. The fruit is a follicle. In Europe the plant is popular for stone gardens.It is a really rare Rhodiola species

 

Growing Rhodiola rhodantha seeds

These seeds of the Queens’s Crown do NOT need a stratification meaning that they can be put onto the substrate immediately. The seeds should not be covered with substrate but only pressed gently onto it, they need light to germinate. At a temperature of about 20°C and constantly moist substrate germination occurs after 2 to 4 weeks. R. rhodantha prefers moist substrate but can tolerate short dry periods. They plant is winter hardy down to minus 35°C.