Gunnera Insignis

Description

A rare form of Gunnera growing up to 3m tall. The petioles can be up to 2.5m long and can sometimes be red. The toothed, large umbrella-like leaves can grow up to 2m wide and grow in a rosette arrangement. The conical, red flower clusters can grow up to 1metre tall.

Sowing Advice

For best results, sow seeds as soon as you receive them onto a good soil-based compost. Cover the seeds with fine grit or compost to approximately their own depth. These seeds can be very slow indeed to germinate, and may wait for spring before emerging whenever sown. Do not use artificial heat to try to germinate them as it will simply disrupt their germination mechanism. Please be very patient, and do not discard the seed pan. For best results, sow immediately onto a good soil-based compost. Cover the seeds with fine grit or compost to approximately their own depth. They can be sown at any time, and germination can sometimes be quicker if kept at 15 to 20 degrees C. We sow most seeds in an unheated greenhouse and wait for natural germination, as many seeds have built-in dormancy mechanisms, often waiting for natural spring germination, hence giving them a full season of growth. These gunnera seeds can be very, very slow indeed in germinating, usually taking from 6 to 18 months to appear above the compost. Please be very patient indeed.

Key Facts