"Rupert" wrote in a message:
snip
Can anyone tell me what the seed looks like as I can't find anything
resembling a seed.
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Perhaps you are not the only one Rupert. I have yet to find L. crocothyrsos
seeds for sale in any seed catalogues I have. They all appear to stock only
L. formosa. However, L.crocothyrsos is easily grown from semi-
hardwood, heeled cuttings during July. Use lateral shoots for the best
results.
I always use supermarket, 1 litre plastic coke or beer bottles for my
cuttings with an almost 100% success rate.
When empty, cut the bottles in half and fill the bottom half, half way up
with a suitable rooting compost, insert the cutting/s - no more than two to
a bottle - lightly water to set the cutting and place the top half of the
bottle over the cutting so that it fits *within* the bottom half, keeping
the screw cap on. As long as the rooting compost was sufficiently damp
when planting, there is no need to water again before removing the rooted
cutting.
This is a great way to grow cuttings as you can always check for rooting
progress. I position my bottles behind my garden shed where they are
always in full shade.

Mike Roscoe.