Gnaphalium californicum DC.
Green everlasting

Family:  Asteraceae

Habit:   Annual or biennial, stoutish, 4 to 8 dm. high, glandular and highly scented.

Distribution:  Commonly scattered in coastal sage scrub, woodland, and chaparral, usually in disturbed places, from Baja California to Oregon.

Seed unit:  Achene.

Seed:  Achene small, brown, less than 1 mm.; pappus bristles free, usually shed.

Embryo:  Foliar embryo, no endosperm.

Purity instructions:   Pure seed definition:
AOSA: PSU# 50 - Intact achene, with or without one or more of the following structures: beak, bristle, hairs, pappus, wing, or firmly attached floral remnants, provided a true seed with some degree of embryo development can be detected (either by slight pressure or by examination over light).
Piece of broken achene larger than one-half of the original size, unless no seed is present. Seed, with or without pericarp/seed coat; if broken, larger than one-half the original size.
ISTA: PSD #4 – Achene, with or without pappus, unless it is obvious that no seed is present.

Lab notes:  Smallest, shriveled achenes without substance called inert.  Difficult to draw line between pure and inert.

Average pure seed units per gram:  60,221 seeds per gram (based on AOSA pure seed units only from 37 samples received for testing from 1992 to 2004).

Range of percent pure seed:   1 to 17%

Range of percent inert:  82 to 99%

Description of inert:  Plant material, insects.

Planting instructions:  400 seeds, TB, 21 days @ 15-25°C; for fresh and dormant seed, prechill recommended.