Pride of Barbados/Mexican bird of paridise

While out and about, I picked the pod off of a flowering pride of barbados. I brought it home, opened up the pod and planted the "seeds". Are they true seeds? Will they grow?

If you got it out of a seedpod then yes, those are real seeds. If it was just a dried up flower looking thing then that wasn't really the seedpod and whatever you got out of it won't grow. Their pods are long, look a little like peas and will turn brown when they're ripe. If you pulled it off when it was still green then the seeds may not have been mature yet and they may not grow for you, but otherwise they should if you give them the right conditions. I think these don't want to be buried too deep in the soil, and I think they need light to germinate and bottom heat may help speed things up, although I'm not sure if it's necessary or just helpful.

These are very hard seeds, you'll want to nick the end opposite the point and then put them in a cup of boiling water. Let them soak overnight. Any that are still floating in the morning will probably not germinate. Then as ecrane3 said above. Do you know if the seed pod you found was off of a Caesalpinia or a Poinciana? What color?? I love these plants/trees, so I'm just curious. Good luck!

Well, the pod was still green. When I pulled out the seeds, they were still green too and soft. I threw the pods in there after pulling out the seeds too (I'm not quite sure why). The pride of barbados is a mixture of yellow, orange and red so I'm not quite sure whay you mean by what color it is? The soil is very wet where I planted them.

My guess is it's Caesalpinia pulcherrima then. There's also a yellow one Caesalpinia mexicana, and I think the poinciana that Shari is talking about is Delonix regia which has red flowers (although poinciana is also sometims used as a common name for the Caesalpinias). They all have similar looking flowers except for the color, and Delonix is also more treelike and less hardy.

Unfortunately if the seeds are still green then they weren't ripe and I don't think they can germinate--I would let some more seed pods form on the plant and wait until they're brown before you collect the seeds.

I agree....the green ones just aren't ready. Best is to let them brown on the plant, when they start to split, or fall off on their own then you can split the pod open and proceed as above. Yes, the colors you mention make it sound like a Caesalpinia pulcherrima, a little more patience, and you will have seeds for a beautiful plant.

These grow all over Phoenix, too - in vacant lots, along roadsides, etc.

Here is a link:

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2247/

The ones I saw in Phoenix are like the photo from plantsdirect. Gorgeous flowers, blooms cover the plants nearly year round. After seeing them growing literally wild with no care, in sand, only watered when it rained, I thought I could grow them easily. I tried several times in So. CA with no luck. So, now that I'm in AL, I'm going to try again. I WILL have that plant growing in my yard yet.

growing up: keep an eye on the plant and like the others have said, try to get some seed pods after they have started to turn brown. You can buy the seeds on eBay, but they are fairly pricey so if you can get them for free . . . . go for it!

Karen

Hiya Karen!!!! Long time no talk to!

Hi Shari,

Good to hear from you!!

Karen

Almost all of my neighbors have them growing in there front yards. It almost reminds me of a fern because the foliage "ferns" outwards (if that makes sense). I should go for a walk and see if any pods have browned and fallen on the ground. Thanks for that tip.

Could someone tell me how deep to plant the seeds for the Pride of Barbados.
Thanks

I have had the most luck planting them very, very shallowly. Covered by only 1/4 in of soil. After they open you can tuck them down a wee bit more for stability...but they will pretty much find their own way. Good luck!