Paul Dudley wrote:
Hello gardeners. I have been trying to reproduce Umbrella Tree
( Magnolia Tripetalis )from seed with no luck what-so-ever. I've
removed seed from cones and then soaked for a few days to loosen and
remove the red outter skin. I've planted the hard black seed in the
ground, in soil filled flower pots, in wet paper towel and have been
soaking some in water for the past few weeks to no avail. I can't
seem to get these seeds to sprout. I have seen seedling plants in the
wild so I do know they will grow from seed. Perhaps they've been
through the digestive tract of one animal or other to soften the
shell some.


Yup, that's it. You have to swallow them whole and then collect them later.
That's how they make coffee in some parts of the world.......

D