If Zamia seeds dry out, are they still viable?

[stevethegator]

Hello all, I collected some coontie (Zamia floridana) seeds in Gainesville, FL a couple months ago. I summarily forgot about them in my car and the seed coat has completely dried out. They were rubbery and soft, and now they're hard as rocks.

Other than making it harder to remove the seed coat, will this affect their viability?

[cycadjungle]

Probably not. Throw the seeds in a bucket of water and see if they sink or float. Usually the seeds will be fine. Mine are in the back of my pickup truck and I won't even clean and plant them for another month.

[stevethegator]

Good to know! I started soaking them and they all sink so I'm in luck. How long should I expect them to take to germinate once I plant them?

[cycadjungle]

If you clean them, then soak them for a day, and the temperatures are very warm, you should see the first ones sprouting in a week. Sometimes when I waited until June to plant, a few sprouted while soaking in the water.

[mike2748]

Let me know if you need more lots of them

and sprouts just pay postage

[stevethegator]

Thanks guys!