'Chacruna ' false Psychotria viridis seed vegetated...

[mutant]

Hello!

I know Psychotria viridis is supposed to be pretty difficult seed to vegetate. It looks my second attempt worked - I am still afraid it might be something that was in the soil [soil was bought flower soil, first time used, minimally exposed to enviroment] as it happened with a weed I grew & mistook for a catha edulis [that didn't vegetate] and got a disppointment at the end.

Has anyone grown the plant from seed or has experience with other psychotrias? If I post a photo is it possible that someone can confirm or encourage me that my baby seems to be the wanted one?

edit: I edited the title as it comes that my plant is propably no Psychotria

Edited December 1, 2008 by mutant

[Teotzlcoatl]

Let's see the pic!

[mescalito]

Hello mutant, yep I've grown a viridis from PH's seed successfully though I thought it was a bit weird looking.I should have taken pics.

How advanced is it?

Does it look like it's all twisted and something may be cocooned inside the new growth?

I hope this is normal 'cause mine does it every time it sprouts more leaves.

Don't be tempted to open the leaves by hand it seems to be part of the process...just wait.The leaves eventually straighten out.

My seed grown Caapi (SAB)and Viridis (PH) had a bad start and a rough ride and I thought they were both dead until this year (their second), they came back to life so I feel blessed

I'll upload some pics asap in this thread.

Edited February 22, 2008 by mescalito

[Stonehenge]

I have a PV I grew from seed. I've grown out a few that way. They look normal but a seedling can be twisted or whatever depending on conditions. Very few seeds will sprout and they take a while so be patient.

[mutant]

Thanx for replies! Actually it came out of the soil pretty easily - even though the baby leaves are somewhat curled. Photo taken it's first day, today - yesterday the baby leaves were still in the soil. Actually I had somewhat nicked and soaked all seeds before sowing... I hope it's the Psychotria

mescalito, please post some baby pics if you can!

Edited February 22, 2008 by mutant

[mutant]

I took some more photos of the seedling, after it has been exposed to some sun, the baby-leaves got greener and are more even shaped now

I would really appreciate an opinion, even if it's just an estimation - I know it's pretty difficult/impossible to ID stuff from the seedling phase...

[Stonehenge]

I'll give that a definite 'could be'.

[mutant]

Cool. Any advice on how the baby should be raised?

[Torsten]

yep, I'll go with 'definite maybe' too. Bit hard to tell by the cotyledons. Make sure to post another pic as soon as the next leaves form. Actually, don't wait till they spread, but rather take a pic when they are still together [like praying hands].

[apothecary]

EDIT: Tort beat me to it.

Edited February 29, 2008 by Sina

[planthelper]

it's quite easy to recognize if a tiny seedling is the real mc coy, if you have learned to look out for the similareties which they share with a mature plant. all seedlings allready display those characteristics of any given plant. in case of viridis, you might look out for if those leaves are a bit waxy in appereance and somehow fleshy. naturaly this hint will not help you unless, you have access to a mature or older than seedling viridis plant. if coffee grows in your area, than you could even compare it to coffee, even coffee shares those characteristics.

if one has grown and probagated many plants for years by vegetative methodes, one can get very, very excited to have the privilige to observe and inspect, for the first time a seed grown individual.

with experience one can id pretty much all plants already in the earliest seedling stages.

growing from seed "rocks" as it gives the caretaker (maybe not all of you, but i guess many of you ) the same feeling as young parents express, like the, "oh look at my baby, isn't she cute" thing.

[mutant]

Thanks for the help!

planthelper ;) great and informative post man. No I haven't seen a Psychotria in real life let alone touch it, but you can tell by the photos the leaves are fleshy. Ficus genus comes in mind. And yes {!!!} the seedling has both a somewhat look and it is fleshy [for cotyledons, that is].

Actually I started many plants from seed this year, and I can reassure you I have felt this feeling you describe, and this from a rather cynical guy like me! Despite it's a quite new 'sport' for me, I have partly inherited my fathers thrill with plants - nothing ethnobotanically interesting, but still enough to spark my interest in nature before 4 years.

I will post after the real leaves appear ;)

[mutant]

Hey, here I am again!

The two first real leaves have appeared at last. Here they are:

well? do we have the suspect here, or what?

[planthelper]

yep, pretty sure it's a viridis.

[mutant]

Hey, after some time, my "psychotria" has grown a bit.... here's a photo... I would love another confirmation if the ID was originally right, as well as any ideas about if I should change pot or what... it is currently very dry and hot here, it will be like that for 20 or 30 days... but it seems to be doing well...

[planthelper]

looks more like carthaginensis to me, but maybe this has to do with your cultural aspects.

viridis leaves are quite thick and older leaves have a spike on the underside of the leaf vein.

carth leaves are thinner somehow.

[mutant]

Bummer... I hope you're wrong.... the seeds were bought by a good US vendor... I am not sure if I am allowed to name him .... anyhow, I hope it's just an enviromental thing or my plant is just too young... Glad it's a Psychotria nevertheless...

it being a carthaginensis would explain it endured the extremely hot/dry season with no problems....no?

[Stonehenge]

It may be a totally different species altogether. Don't take that as a definitive answer but the leaves look funny to me.

[mutant]

Heck, this "psychotria" is becoming a thriller, lol, time will tell

[planthelper]

yeah, it could well be something much better than viridis or any other psychotias, it could be a drumm roll...

DIPLOPTERYS CABRERANA!!!!!!!!!

the holy grail, the plant nobody in oz has got, you might be a very, very lucky camper!!

Edited August 22, 2008 by planthelper

[planthelper]

please post us more pics from this plant, specialy a close up of the nodes!

this is very exciting, an accidental diplo!!!!!!!

an because i'm first, i humbly ask for a cutting, once she is big enough!

[mutant]

Hmmmm, that's very strange, my 'psychotria' might be a vine??

I was a way for a couple of days and saw something strange today... I will try to take some photos tomorrow and post them....

does anyone have any link to diplo seeds?

I would be glad to clone the plant and maybe send it to some, when the time is right... and when the ID is certain...

[planthelper]

http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/inde...showtopic=17158

http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/inde...showtopic=17619

and the search result:

http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/inde...terys+cabrerana

why i think it could be diplo is because of the leaf shape and because the stem of your plant is very thin.

but those it grow like a vine?

[mutant]

Thanks for the links, that helped quite a bit to understand at least the first chapter of the mess and confucion with these plants. I posted something here as well

http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/inde...17158&st=50

I would also like to note, as imageshack doesn't work for the moment, that the new growth is what I would call very characteristic: some 2 or 3 pairs of leaves are forming together at once, some bigger and some less so, so that you got a really smal pair of new leaves, then a big one, then a small one again... I had noted this some pairs ago, but I think it's getting more intense now... I will post a photo as soon as I can, 'coz I supsect that nooone really understood what I said

Edited August 26, 2008 by mutant

[mutant]

here's an updated close-up

edit: the old links are gone

Here is the plant growing, as seen and answered by previous posters....

Edited December 1, 2008 by mutant