I started trying to grow these from seed in early July, thinking they could grow enough to tolerate winter outdoors. I was told I didn't need to cool the seeds first. But none that I didn't refrigerate first sprouted. After refrigeration, it took weeks of moisture and sun to germinate. Lots of them germinated at the same time. You can see the two original leaves in the photo. They seem to pop whole out of the seed. The original two leaves have a total span (tip of one to tip of the other) of about one eighth inch. That is incredibly big for popping out of a tiny seed. But then those two leaves never grow! I moved it all inside to a south facing window and kept it watered. Each sprout stayed that same 1/8 inch size for many weeks. Finally a third leaf and soon after that a fourth appeared on most sprouts. At half inch span from tip of the 3rd to tip of the 4th, this sprout (in the photo) is the biggest and healthiest and first to start a 5th leaf (about 5 months after germinating).
Where I found volunteers outside, they got FAR less sun and less water. How do these ever get from seed to plant in the wild?
