24+ Creosote Bush Seeds
Even a one foot high plant is probably at least ten years old.
Creosote bush seeds. The method for growing creosote plants requires soaking seeds in boiling water to break through the heavy seed coat. However it has been suggested that the shucking and burial of creosotebush seeds by rodents may facilitate the germination and survival of creosotebush. Remove the hull from each seed. Creosote bush also has several notable qualities and traditional medicinal uses. It has been noted poor creosotebush reproduction on level plains. Creosote bush larrea tridentata sometimes called greasewood is a large shrub found in most of arizona s counties. The plant produces fuzzy capsules containing the seed.
Creosote bush grows at elevations of 5 000 feet or lower and occupies thousands of square miles of arizona s sonoran desert. Cover seed with 1 8 inch of sand and keep warm in the light and barely moist until germination which occurs in 3 to 5 weeks. Upon germination the pericarp often balances on top of the seedling like a little fuzz helmet. It is spanish for governess due to its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of nearby plants. Soak them for a day and then plant one seed per 2 inch pot. The smell of creosote after a good rain is the result of many volatile oils but mostly terpene a compound found in pines limonene citrus camphor pines and rosemary methanol wood alcohol and 2 undecanone spices. The creosote bush thrives in the desert.
If you are in the mojave sonoran and chihuahuan deserts of western north america you are never far from a creosote bush. Although creosote bushes produce large numbers of fuzzy seeds at each flowering few of them are able to germinate. Air dry the seeds and then store them in a cool dry. The trichomes are not stiff enough to penetrate animal skin and the seeds are too heavy for lofting. Fire keeps creosote bush in check. Sow the seeds in a pot or seedling. How to grow creosote bushes from seeds 1.
They are medium sized slow growing shrubs with sprays of compact green leaves tiny yellow flowers and fuzzy seeds. It is so good at making efficient use of its. Place several seeds in a flat pan and cover them with boiling water. After the creosote blooms the flower turns into a small white fuzzy fruit capsule that has 5 seeds. The seed itself is covered by a fuzzy pericarp which does not need to be removed. Creosote bush is not commonly available at garden centers and nurseries but you can grow it from seed. Larrea tridentata is known as creosote bush and greasewood as a plant as chaparral as a medicinal herb and as gobernadora in mexico.
Collect creosote bush seeds in late spring through summer.