I think everyone is familiar with the shuttlecock look of Scabiosa seeds. Indeed, it's that structure that makes this genus so attractive in the garden after the blossoms fade and in dried flower arrangements. But are those shuttlecocks the actual seeds or just an ornamental "sleeve" for disbursing the true seed?
I can sometimes get quite vigorous when cleaning my seed. One day while cleaning Scabiosa shuttlecocks, I noticed something very small on my paper plate that looked like a typical seed. As first I thought it was just a stray seed from a nearby unrelated species that was inadvertently gathered with the Scabiosa. But, as I rubbed the shuttlecocks, a few more of those seeds appeared.
To confirm they were, indeed, viable Scabiosa seeds, I germinated a few. I was surprised at how fast they germinated with nearly 100% success rate. In the past, I had tried to introduce a dwarf, compact Scabiosa into my garden from shuttlecocks I collected from town plantings. I got no germination.
I am now noticing that in any given lot of shuttlecocks, there are less than 50% "real" seeds expelled. So I think I was unsuccessful with my original attempt at germination because those shuttlecocks were empty of seed.
Here's a photo of the seeds that I've teased out of those shuttlecocks. Has anyone else noticed this?
