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Cephalaria gigantea

 
Cephalaria gigantea
golden scalehead
Common name golden scalehead
Family dipsacaceae
Life cycle perennial
Flowers yellow
Size to 8 ft
Light sun
From seed Give 6-8 weeks cold, then move to room temperature. Germination may start during the cold stage.
detailed seed-starting info below
Seed ripenslate July

This plant holds its pale yellow pincushion flowers high above the rosette of jagged leaves. It's almost impossible to take a picture that does the whole plant justice, so for now you get bits and pieces of flower, bud, and leaves on this page.

Cephalaria gigantea
The foliage is quite distinctive - deeply divided, oddly asymmetric
golden scalehead
Cool flowerbud. I didn't notice the aphids until I viewed the photo close up

We left this plant behind in our Pennsylvania garden (and wish it well); we don't grow it in Houston.

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Seed-starting details for this plant

  1. Seed from JL Hudson. Baggy 70F (16%G, 17d). Moving to cold for 4 weeks did not result in more germination
  2. Seed from '01 garden. Baggy 35F (7w) - 70F (4w; 25%G, 3-7d). Further temperature cycling did not result in more germination
  3. Seed from '01 garden (selected fattest seeds). Baggy 35F (8w; 84%G, 5-8w).
  4. Seed from '08 trade. Baggy 35F (100%G, 4w)
  5. Seed from '09 trade. Baggy 35F (5w; 25%G, 4w) - 70F (no further G, 9d)
  6. Seed from '11 trade. Baggy 35F (83%G, 5-8w)

Cold stage appears to be essential. Only plump seeds are viable - but it's not always easy to tell seeds from duds when they are dry. After a soak or a few days in a wet filter paper, the difference is obvious.


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