Hi Phil,

That sounds like Sophora tetraptera, though it could be Sophora microphylla.

In either case the seeds have a very hard coat and need prolonged soaking
before
sowing, preferably in warm water. They also benefit from scarification. The
hard
coat enables the seed to survive prolonged exposure to sea water, which is
presumably how some Sophora species come to occur in both Chile and New
Zealand.
Considering the direction of the current, those in Chile must have come from
NZ,
which is quite a few thousand kilometres away.

As to after-care once the seed has germinated, well there shouldn't really
be
any problems with the climate, as here in NZ they grow in some pretty cold,
exposed places. Sophora tetraptera, which has larger and fewer leaflets than
Sophora microphylla, is the more tender of the tree-sized species. I do
think
that you'd be better to sow the seeds in spring rather than autumn and it's
a
good idea to pre-sprout them on damp paper towels in a warm place like an
airing
cupboard.

Hope this helps
Geoff Bryant


Hi Geoff

Your post brings one of my recent horticultural failures to mind.
Bear with me while I explain.

I live in Esher which is about 2 miles from a place called
Walton-On-Thames (Surrey, England). Now one of the main roads through
Walton is called New Zealand Avenue.

I got to looking into the reason for this name and found that it was
named in memory and thanks to the men of New Zealand who fought in the
1st War. Walton had a special link with these men because many of
them were treated for their injuries in Mount Felix hospital. Here
is a link to some photographs of that time -
http://www.angelfire.com/ego/walton-on-thames/mf.htm

To move closer to the point; a tree has been planted near New Zealand
Avenue, Walton. I guess in thanks for, or memory of, those men. The
tree is a Kowhai, a native tree of New Zealand.

Each autumn the tree is covered with many strings of seeds. Last year
I borrowed a few from around the base of the tree with a view to
growing my own Kowhai. My first batch failed completely. Not a sign
of any activity what-so-ever. For my second batch I decided to help
by wearing down the very hard seed coat with a file. My second batch
resulted in four seedlings (from 20). Two of the seedlings have
disappeared completely; one is looking very sick and shrivelled, while
the last is just looking ill.

I will try another batch once the better weather arrives. The dingy
days of December are probably to blame.

Have you ever tried to grow this type of tree from seed?

rgds

Phil