Myrica Cerifera Seeds

Discussion in 'Trees, Shrubs and Roses' started by Ben Dillon, Jan 17, 2020.

  1. Ben Dillon

    Ben Dillon New Seed

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    Hi. I was wondering if someone here could help me with a mild conundrum I'm experiencing. I ordered some myrica cerifera seeds from Amazon, from two vendors (as buying seeds on Amazon is a bit of a gamble), and both have since arrived at my house. The problem is, they look completely different from one another, and I can't seem to find a picture of the seeds online. I don't want to plant the wrong one, and was wondering if anyone could help me differentiate between them. One packet contains seeds that look like.. little cherry pits, and the other contains seeds which look like little dark brown beans. Does anyone here know which is the genuine article? Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated.
     
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  2. mart

    mart Strong Ash

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    Could be same plant family but different variety ! Would help if you posted pics of both !
     
  3. toni

    toni Mistress of Garden Junque Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    Last edited: Jan 19, 2020
  4. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    I can't help you Ben but it is a pretty comical dilemma. I would just plant both of them (carefully marked), and see what comes up.
     



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  5. Ben Dillon

    Ben Dillon New Seed

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  6. Ben Dillon

    Ben Dillon New Seed

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    So here's a pic. Sorry about the poor quality. I went to that website and could only find pictures of the berries, not the seeds within. Does anyone have experience with this particular plant? Again, any help would be greatly appreciated.

    And you're right. It is indeed quite comical.
     
  7. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    @toni your seeds look like bayberry. Is it related?

    Ben I have no clue, but my bet is on the seeds on the right. The seeds on the left do look rather bean-like. Bayberry is not a bean.

    Have you dealt with the sellers yet?
     
  8. toni

    toni Mistress of Garden Junque Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    Bayberry is another common name for Wax Myrtle. I could not find pics of the actual seed.
    Since the berries are round I'm guessing that the seeds on the right are the Wax Myrtle.
     
  9. Ben Dillon

    Ben Dillon New Seed

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    I found a pic of seeds on etsy which look like the ones on the right, and wax myrtles are a drupe fruit, and as they look like little cherry pits, I'm going to have to agree. Thanks for your help. I had one other question. I've never grown a drupe from seed before, and was wondering if it would be more prudent to score or soak them prior to putting them in my propagation tray. Any thoughts?
     
  10. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    I would do both. How many wax myrtles do you want to end up with? It looks like you have plenty of seeds. I'd experiment.
     
  11. toni

    toni Mistress of Garden Junque Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    I would plant some of the unknown seeds too, just to find out what they will become.
     
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  12. Ben Dillon

    Ben Dillon New Seed

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    Ideally, I'd like to get ten, but I'd settle for less so long as I have at least one of each gender. I bought them because I like to make candles (one of my many artsy/crafty hobbies), and one night the idea of home grown candle wax tickled my fancy enough to buy some seeds from Amazon.
     
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  13. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    Do you have a nice sunny spot outdoors where you'll be able to plant them eventually?
     
  14. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    Do bayberries give wax? Or more just scent?
     

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