. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1984 LOOMAN: 5'//£'/'//i5'/?Z)//l/l/?C?£-A^r£-/l (PURSH) NUTT, BUFFALOBERRY 241 (c) Seed viability and germination: Fresh seed does not readily germinate; it is necessary to scarify tiie seed, followed by stratification for 30 to 50 days at 0 to 5°C. Scarification can be done by chemical or mechanical means; scarification in sulfuric acid, or removing part of the seed coat with a sharp file can give the same results. In fresh seed 80 to 90% germination can be obtained (G. B. Neill, Tree Nursery, Indian Head, personal communication, 1980). In my own ger
. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1984 LOOMAN: 5'//£'/'//i5'/?Z)//l/l/?C?£-A^r£-/l (PURSH) NUTT, BUFFALOBERRY 241 (c) Seed viability and germination: Fresh seed does not readily germinate; it is necessary to scarify tiie seed, followed by stratification for 30 to 50 days at 0 to 5°C. Scarification can be done by chemical or mechanical means; scarification in sulfuric acid, or removing part of the seed coat with a sharp file can give the same results. In fresh seed 80 to 90% germination can be obtained (G. B. Neill, Tree Nursery, Indian Head, personal communication, 1980). In my own germination tests, the percentage germination in fresh seed, following the methods described, varied from 26% to 76%. In three-year old seed the viability appears to be reduced; maximum germination was only 30%, and more than half of the seedlings did not develop properly. Pre-treated seed germinates in 10 to 16 days; growth of the seedlings is very slow (Figure 6). The Plains Bison consumed the berries in late fall and early winter, and may have played an important role in dispersing viable and "scarified" seed when it was abundant on the Great Plains. No seedlings have been found in the natural habitat of the species, despite copious seed production. (d) Vegetative reproduction: Virtually every clump oiS. argentea is partially or entirely surrounded by a fringe of young shoots, arising from the often meters-long rootstocks. Usually, the age of the shoots decreases outward, with one- and two-year old shoots at some distance from the clump margin. However, where older shoots have died off for some reason, one- or two-year old shoots can be found amongst the older ones. The ages of several shoots determined from their growth rings, turned out to be considerably less than that of the root-crown from which they arose. Each of these root-crowns showed repeated damage through browsing by rabbits, followed by production of new shoots. The absence of seedlings, and uncertai
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