The seeds of Mimetes and Leucospermum are very different to the Protea, their dispersal, dormancy, and germination triggers requiring specific dormancy breaking cues A simple bare bones instruction on how to germinate these seeds does not give one a deeper appreciation of the ecological workings of the Fynbos Biome of which these plants form an integral part....
Central to Fynbos ecology is the role played by the periodic fires and its smoke, and apart from the interval between them, the intensity of the flames. The shorter the interval, the cooler the fire, as there has not been enough time for a build-up of combustible material though this is not always the case as abnormal dryness and wind conditions can vary. The...
I believe there is an additional influence that plays a part in the germination of the nut-like seeds: that of a colder pulse during the winter’s natural temperature fluctuations of day and night. I had not been able to germinate seeds of Mimetes stokoei and M. arboreus using naturally occurring winter temperature fluctuations in my area (about 8 deg C at night...