HERB FEDERATION OF NEW ZEALAND SEED LIST 2010

COLLECT SEED NOW

We are now in our twenty third year of saving and distributing seed to members of the Herb Federation. The exchange of herbs, including flowers and vegetables, needs your input of any spare seed that could be of interest to members.

Please take time to share any special varieties of herbs with superior flavour or scent, or rare herbs that we would all love to have especially those from other countries that you have had success with.

Seed that we could have more of for this year, as they have been popular in the past, and some have been lost by yours truly, are listed as follows:

• Artemisia annua - sweet Annie
• Arnica montana
• Baptisia tinctoria
• Borago officinallis 'Alba' — white flowered borage
• Carthamus tinctoria — safflower
• Digitalis lantana — Grecian foxglove — this foxglove is favoured for the commercial production of the heart medicine, digoxin.
• Lathyrus odoratus — an old fashioned sweet pea with a good perfume
• Linum usitatissimum — linen flax
• Lobella syphilitica
• Glycyrrhiza glabra — licorice
• Ocimum basilicum — basil
• Papaver somniferum (double flowered forms are more showy) — opium poppy
• Perilla frutescens (green or red) — shiso
• Phacelia sp — fiddleneck
• Salvia sclaria — clary sage
• Salvia viridis — annual clary sage
• Verbascum phoenicium

The list is much the same as last year as there seems to be a shortage of some of these seeds and offerings have remained small or non existent. Fresh seed is always best but if you have some from 2008 that you could share then label it as such and we can add it to the published list as last year's seed.

If you have any stories about successful germination and consequent planting or problems with seed please send them in to herbnews.

Last year we offered 93 different seed lots and we do rely on Herb Federation members and friends sending seed in to keep up the numbers — seed came from 5 different sources last year. Please collect your seed and post to me by the end of June, then publication of the list can be done as early as possible making it easier for ordering so that seed can be sown during the optimum season. Let me know if any of your seed is other than open garden pollinated. Seed from F1 hybrids will not come true to type and should not be collected. However heritage seed will be great to collect and distribute also. Interesting vegetables and flowers are also acceptable.

Last year I collected seed from Rosa rugosa ‘Alba’ and have plenty of seedlings which will soon be ready to grow on. They may not come true to type but will be interesting to compare with the parent plant.

Check the collecting and labelling suggestions below before sending.

Seed Collecting Notes

A project carried out by the Otago Herb Society for HFNZ

• Choose plants that are strong in growth, vigorous and free from disease. Flowering and fruiting times vary each year so check your plants regularly for seed development. As seeds ripen they change colour from green/white to brown/black.
• As a general rule, seeds can be collected when they darken in colour and before they have dropped from the plant. Most seeds can be harvested before they are completely ripe. If they have a small portion of stem attached they will ripen even though detached from the plant.
• Put in a paper bag and hang them in a warm, dry place. You may need to make several gatherings as all of the seed will not all be ready for collection at the same time. Catch the seed before it falls from the plant.
• Use paper bags for collecting seed. Do not use plastic bags, except for collecting fleshy fruits from which you intend to extract the seeds.
• As the seed head approaches ripeness it can be covered, while still on the plant, with a fine muslin bag. This will protect the seed head, particularly from wind and rain. It also allows air movement about the head, which will therefore dry more quickly after rain.
• Collect seed on a dry day. Date and name it correctly. The importance of correct naming cannot be over–emphasised. Seek help if needed.
• Ripe seeds can be separated from their capsules by rubbing and winnowing. Soft fruits need to be cleaned of their fleshy parts by squashing and washing in a sieve. Spread the separated seed on newspaper to dry.

Collected, dried, named and dated seed is now ready to be sent to the Seed Bank for distribution. Please send seed to:

Bunny Rathbone
Otago Herb Society
P O Box 5078,
Moray Place,
Dunedin 9058