i bought some seeds of macrozamia mcdonnellii. i am trying to follow the guidance of planting the seed half in moist medium (pumice) and half in the air. i believe want the sprouting end up, and the chalazal end down, but which is which?

one end (seed on right in photo) has about 12-18 shallow indentations, irregular spaced over a 3/8" diam area (as if someone had poked it repeatedly with a sharp pencil. the other end (left seed in photo) has a symmetrical pattern of about a dozen spokes, covering an disk of about 1/4" diameter, with a 1/16" barely raised nipple in the center. looks a bit like the cap of an acorn but tiny. or like some sort of mandala. i have attached a photo.

also any tips for something handy, common, and warm to place the pot on to keep it warm for germination in this current winter (indoors, november, menlo park, california)?

thanks,

john

I usually just lay them on their side and let them figure it out.

Most (if not all) Cycad seeds are planted sideways, halfway into the mix. I've never heard of them being planted one way up, or the other. They are also often just thrown in a baggie with almost-dry mix, where they tumble every which way.

The end with the star-shaped pattern is where the root comes out; it is called the micropyle. The end with all the shallow pits is the end that is attached to the cone; it is called the chalaza.