Pellionia minima (Elatostema radicans var. minimum) PB 04-307 Available Winter
25 seeds per packet.
A rarely encountered, low growing, dwarf, foliage plant collected from Japan by Patrick Blanc. Produces slowly creeping stems of small, evergreen, glossy foliage and clusters of very small, greenish-white flowers from the leaf axils. A member of the Urticaceae family that neither stings nor spreads. Height 5 cm. Moist but well-drained, humus rich soil in part to full shade.
Members of the Urticaceae family are extremely difficult to correctly identify due to a lack of literature and the confused use of invalid names within horticulture. This plant was introduced as Elatostema radicans var. minimum but we have discovered recently that its valid name is in fact Pellionia minima and that the former name is classed as a synonym.
GROWING INSTRUCTIONS:
Sow from autumn to spring. Surface sow small seeds thinly, press in gently and keep top of pot moist. Keep pot outdoors or in cold frame over winter. Seeds germinate in spring.
Alternatively, if seeds can’t be sown in autumn or early spring use the following method: mix seeds with damp vermiculite and place inside a ziplock bag, keep bag somewhere warm for 3 weeks, then place in fridge (not freezer) for 8 weeks. Next spread mixture on top of a pot, thinly cover with compost or grit and keep warm at 15 to 20°C until germination, then move to somewhere cooler.
Carefully prick out seedlings when they have developed true leaves and are large enough to transplant to individual pots for growing on.