Green Group discussion

Let's collect stories about seeds, which are becoming more prominent with the rise of interest in heritage varieties.
Indigenous groups are becoming reunited with traditional and sometimes ancient forms of seeds, through their own work and the work of others.
Seeds are being saved in vaults. They need to be planted and grown and their seeds saved, every now and then.
Seeds vary from a tiny speck of pepper seed, to a floating coconut. Some are toxic and some edible.

The Triumph of Seeds: How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses, and Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History


Excellent book on this subject.

A small kids' book on mystery seeds.
Flowers for Grandmother

Indigenous tribes were driven from their lands or prevented from cropping their own food.
Now people are connecting the traditional seeds with the tribes again. They are calling this 'rematriation'.
Here is an excellent article on the topic.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles...

"In the late 1970s, alongside the Civil Rights movement, Indigenous communities across the country started organizing to address their land rights and other cultural and social issues. This eventually gave birth to an incipient Indigenous food movement, says Clayton Brascoupé, who in 1992 founded the Traditional Native American Farmers Association. In those early days, says Brascoupé, many Native farmers didn’t know where or how to find their traditional seeds. Farmers would first try to find the missing varieties in their local communities. They’d write letters to nearby farmers, Native and non-Native, who gave them leads to people even further away. “And it was just this natural progression, you keep looking, and looking, and looking,” the Mohawk-Anishinaabeg farmer says.

By the late 2000s, Native farmers had cast their investigative nets so wide that they were all talking to each other, exchanging seeds, and planning food summits. The Indigenous Seed Keepers Network formalized those relationships, says its director, Rowen White. Two years later, the network was celebrating the rematriation of the Native Taos Pueblo squash that is now growing and producing offspring in several farms of the community."

From 2017- the seed vault at Svalbard.

https://www.theguardian.com/environme...

Permafrost is melting faster than imaginable and rain fell instead of expected snow.

From 2020 - seed vault at Svalbard.

From The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/202...

"The Cherokee seeds will be only the second deposit from an indigenous community to be stored in the Svalbard vault, following the deposit of 750 South American Andean potato seeds in 2015.

“The Cherokee nation is the only place on the planet where all these crops are grown, and these days tough weather patterns make the situation precarious,” Pat Gwin, the tribe’s senior director of environmental resources, told the Guardian from Oklahoma."

A slightly different version in EcoWatch.
https://www.ecowatch.com/cherokee-nat...

"The most common anthocyanin is cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (Cy3G). Scientists already know quite a lot about how it is made in plants. However, recent research has cast doubt on part of its biosynthetic pathway. Yoshida and her team investigate how plants synthesize pigments, and set out to clarify how Cy3G is made in black soybeans. Normally, the immature seed is green in its pod. Over the course of two months, it turns black due to the accumulation of Cy3G. Exposing the immature green seed to light and air accelerates this process, causing it to turn black within a day. "

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-peeking...
More information: Kumi Yoshida et al. 5,7,3ʹ,4ʹ-Tetrahydroxyflav-2-en-3-ol 3-O-glucoside, a new biosynthetic precursor of cyanidin 3-O-glucoside in the seed coat of black soybean, Glycine max, Scientific Reports (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74098-6
Journal information: Scientific Reports
Provided by Nagoya University

https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/1103/133...

"There are approximately 1,700 seed banks around the world - creating a global network which collects, preserves and shares seeds.

"Seedbanks are all about collaboration. In Ireland, there's the Threatened Plant Seedbank in Trinity College, the Crop Wild Relatives seed bank at Backweston, and the Irish Seed Savers Association. All of these seed banks are trying to build up collections of seed.

"This seedbank here will be a natural history collection, taking everything from weeds to threatened species. We should have 60-70% of our seed within ten years, depending on the resources that are put into it.""

Shamrock is grown from seed each year, the export crop of Irish shamrock is all grown under one roof.

Lovely story.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2023/0313/136...

https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/...

"It is perhaps the oldest grain in Bavaria, which Landshut district archaeologist Thomas Richter pours out of a neatly labeled bag onto a white tabletop. Mixed with sand and soil, the nearly 7,000-year-old grains are clearly visible. They are in a fascinating state of preservation, but coal black. They were found in the remains of a Neolithic house near Ergolding near Landshut (Bavaria).

The remains of a furnace were found in the Neolithic house. In it lay the charred grain in a large block. Thus, the experts could conclude from the archaeological evidence that this oven was a kiln in which grain was dried.

After initial scientific radiocarbon dating, it is clear that the wheat grains are just under 7,000 years old. Further analyses by a botanist specializing in archaeological finds have shown that the grains are not the original wheat varieties Emmer or Einkorn that have survived to the present day, reports archaeologist Thomas Richter: "This grain is a different type of wheat, a type of wheat that we only know from a handful of archaeological sites, and only up to about the Bronze Age, so up to about 3,000 years ago. And then this type of wheat disappeared."

Now the wheat species has reappeared as a chance find near Ergolding. We will never know what this extinct variety, known in science as "New Glume Wheat," tasted like. "

Translation by RTE.

The lack of seeds.

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-rare-ba...
"Flowering for some plants is a yearly occurrence; for others, it is a once-in-a-lifetime event. A widespread species of bamboo in Japan, Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis, takes this one-time flowering event and pushes it to the extreme: they flower once every 120 years before dying to make way for the next generation.

Researchers have realized there might be another issue at hand with this monocarpic species, which is the lack of germination of the seeds from a majority of the flowering specimens. Implications of a once dense field of bamboo, something that serves both as a food source and a source of material for crafts, turning to grassland for several years until the regeneration of bamboo begins somehow, can impact the ecology of the area in addition to the country's economy.

Upon observation of some early flowering specimens, researchers decided to take advantage of this event to take a deeper look at the regeneration ecology since there is no recorded data since the last flowering of this species took place around 1908. It was found that more than 80% of the sampled culms flowered but all the flowering culms did not produce seeds, indicating this variation of P. nigra does not reliably undergo sexual regeneration via the germination of seeds.

"The bamboo did not produce any viable seeds that can germinate. Bamboo shoot production was stopped after flowering. There was no sign of regeneration of this bamboo after flowering for the initial three years," said Toshihiro Yamada, lead researcher and first author of the study now published in PLOS ONE.

About 0.17 million hectares of Japan are occupied by three species of bamboo, one of them being P. nigra var. henonis. Given that this variety of bamboo isn't producing viable seeds, it's likely once this flowering event occurs, there will be wide open areas of grasslands, changing the ecology of the area in addition to reducing the availability of bamboo as a resource.

The environmental impacts of a rapidly shifting ecological area extend past the insects and animals that rely on the food or shelter of the bamboo stand but also can impact the area for years to come considering the potential for soil erosion. Bamboo can help keep soil in place thanks to its strong and widespread rhizomes, so a sudden loss of a large area of this plant can lead to changing topography of the area."

More information: Toshihiro Yamada et al, Does monocarpic Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis regenerate after flowering in Japan? Insights from 3 years of observation after flowering, PLOS ONE (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287114

Journal information: PLoS ONE

Provided by Hiroshima University

https://phys.org/news/2024-09-medicin...

"In the 1980s, researchers excavating a cave in the Judean Desert, in Israel, uncovered a seed that was subsequently dated to sometime between 993 and 1202 AD, making it approximately 1,000 years old. Testing of the seed suggested that it was still viable, so the research team planted and tended to it. A little while later, it sprouted. Now, 14 years later, the tree has grown to maturity.

The tree, which the team has named Sheba, is approximately 3 meters in height with green leaves on its limbs. As the tree has grown, the researchers have conducted a study of its wood, resin and leaves. They report that its type is now extinct.

They also found evidence of pentacyclic triterpenoids—compounds that are known to reduce inflammation in human patients. And they found an oil type, a squalene that is known to be an antioxidant and which has also been used as a skin treatment.

Finding the seed in a cave, the team notes, suggests that people living in the region planted such trees, further suggesting they knew of its medicinal qualities. This, they theorize, may be evidence that resin from the tree might be the "tsori" medicinal compound mentioned in the Bible several times.

The researchers have also found that the tree belongs to the genus Commiphora, which belongs to the same family as frankincense and myrrh. Its species is still unknown, however, because the tree has not yet flowered, preventing study of its reproductive features."

More information: Sarah Sallon et al, Characterization and analysis of a Commiphora species germinated from an ancient seed suggests a possible connection to a species mentioned in the Bible, Communications Biology (2024).
https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024...
Journal information: Communications Biology

It would be nice if it was self pollinating.

The tree could be cloned if needs be, but if not self pollinating that is the only tree there will be. Maybe branching, layering, etc. which are age-old techniques can produce more trees from the original. All genetically the same.

Hazelnuts are a perfect food to store. The shells keep them safe, and can go on the fire when the nuts are eaten.

https://phys.org/news/2024-11-genetic...

"The work by the team involved traveling to various forests in British Columbia and collecting samples from hazelnut trees. They focused most specifically on an area that once was the site of a large native metropolis—a city that existed for thousands of years but went to ruin approximately 3,500 years ago due to natural disasters.

All the samples were taken back to a lab where they were genetically sequenced. In looking at the data, the research team found evidence of hazelnut seeds being transported to the area from as far away as 800 kilometers over many years. This, they note, could not have been done naturally.

The natural dispersion of seeds by birds, squirrels and other animals is almost always localized. This, the researchers further suggest, is evidence of Indigenous people cultivating the trees over many generations. They did so because hazelnuts are a very good source of food. Not only are they nutritious, but they would also serve as a reliable source of food for people living on snow-covered land over long winters."

More information: Chelsey Geralda Armstrong et al, Genetic differentiation and precolonial Indigenous cultivation of hazelnut (Corylus cornuta , Betulaceae) in Western North America, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024).
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas...
Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

https://rte.social.ebu.io/IFO27W27NF

"Georgia has deposited unique samples of its native grain crop seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, one of the world’s most significant genetic repositories. Located in the Arctic, the facility safeguards agricultural biodiversity and ensures seed preservation for future generations.

According to the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture, the primary goal of the initiative is to protect the genetic diversity of the country’s agricultural crops and ensure their survival amid global challenges.

The Svalbard Vault currently stores over 1.3 million seed samples from 123 depositories, representing 6,297 species. This year, alongside Georgia’s contribution, an additional 14,000 new samples were added to the collection."

Original story.
https://1tv.ge/news/saqartvelom-norve...

Thanks to Eleanor Kuhns for this info about the peanut.



"The Suffolk Author Festival, formerly the Suffolk Mystery Festival is held every year in Suffolk, Virginia. This is definitely one of my favorite venues. Not only is the festival just about my favorite, but I love the city itself.

The Great Dismal Swamp lies just outside, and, I would suspect, some of the city lies on reclaimed swamp land. (When George Washington saw the swamp, it measured more than 100,000 acres. Over the years, some of the land has been reclaimed.)

I've taken several tours of the swamp, which provided the basis for one of my favorite of my own books: Death in the Great Dismal.

The swamp was established as a wildlife preserve in 1974. It is a peat swamp and the estimate of the depth is about 15 feet of peat. When walking through the swamp it is important to watch your footing; the tour guide dropped a pole down and it rapidly disappeared from sight. The preserve is owned by the wildlife. Signs of bears are everywhere. All the insects bite. (Don’t visit it in the summer. No repellent is strong enough to keep these insects away.) Unusual birds flutter through the tall, straight pole pines. Truly an amazing place.

Suffolk is also a major producer of peanuts. A short drive around shows peanut farms and a drive through town brings one to the peanut factories.

The peanut itself is a curious plant. The peanut is unusual because, although it flowers above ground, the seeds, I.e. peanuts, are below the ground. They are not roots.

They have to be dried a process that they go through several times, to release the moisture from the soil.

As is usual with some of the weird plants we eat for food, how were peanuts discovered? Did someone dig up the roots and find the peanuts growing beside the roots? Who figured out they need drying? That they can be roasted?

The Virginia peanut is large and very crunchy, larger than most, and so crunchy my jaw started to hurt when I ate a handful. They are a legume, not a nut, despite the name.

They were originally called groundnuts and only eaten by pigs. George Washington Carver studied them extensively and developed hundreds of uses for them.

But credit for making peanut butter lies with Dr. John Kellogg, he of cereal fame. He was looking for a high protein food for his patients who could not swallow solid food. "

Tomato seeds were brought by birds to the Galapagos islands.
Interestingly it is now under study why some of the plants are adapting by having a stronger bitter taste.

https://phys.org/news/2025-06-tomatoe...

"On the younger, black-rock islands of the Galápagos archipelago, wild-growing tomatoes are doing something peculiar. They're shedding millions of years of evolution, reverting to a more primitive genetic state that resurrects ancient chemical defenses.

These tomatoes, which descended from South American ancestors likely brought over by birds, have quietly started making a toxic molecular cocktail that hasn't been seen in millions of years, one that resembles compounds found in eggplant, not the modern tomato.

In a study published recently in Nature Communications, scientists at the University of California, Riverside, describe this unexpected development as a possible case of "reverse evolution," a term that tends to be controversial among evolutionary biologists.
...
"The key players in this chemical reversal are alkaloids. Tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and other nightshades all make these bitter molecules that act like built-in pesticides, deterring insect predators, fungi, and grazing animals.

While the Galápagos are famous as a place where animals have few predators, the same is not necessarily true for plants. Thus, the need to produce the alkaloids.
...
"The researchers analyzed more than 30 tomato samples collected from distinct geographic locations across the islands. They found that plants on eastern islands produced the same alkaloids found in modern cultivated tomatoes. But on western islands, the tomatoes were churning out a different version with the molecular fingerprint of eggplant relatives from millions of years ago.
...
"The pattern wasn't random. It aligned with geography. Tomatoes on the eastern, older islands, which are more stable and biologically diverse, made modern alkaloids. Those on the younger, western islands where the landscape is more barren and the soil is less developed, had adopted the older chemistry.

The researchers suspect the environment on the newer islands may be driving the reversal. "It could be that the ancestral molecule provides better defense in the harsher western conditions," Jozwiak said.

To verify the direction of the change, the team did a kind of evolutionary modeling that uses modern DNA to infer the traits of long-extinct ancestors. The tomatoes on the younger islands matched what those early ancestors likely produced."

More information: Adam Jozwiak et al, Enzymatic twists evolved stereo-divergent alkaloids in the Solanaceae family, Nature Communications (2025).
https://www.nature.com/articles/s4146...
Journal information: Nature Communications

Provided by University of California - Riverside

Had some bird seed that got accidentally trapped under a layer of leaves that went through a mostly mild winter with a good cold snap. The seeds sprouted and grew a spindly type of grass. It seemed to grow okay, got around 6 to 10 inches tall. Then we had a heat wave, over 90 for 3 days. It turned yellow, looks like it isn't going to go very far.

I don't water the back, it grows wild, whatever survives with just plain natural rain fall. Many different kinds of grasses and weeds grow back there. Plus some traditional flowers. Its mostly local stuff, though some of it was imported into the area 60-70 years ago. Some of the original wild stuff is still around and some of it is gone. The normal stuff made it through the heat wave as it has seen those conditions before.

The bird seed used to be treated so that it wouldn't sprout. Apparently with new supply sources and abandonment of old ideas, the bird seed is now sproutable.

Yes, over here it's been sprouting for a while. We've had rye, barley and oats, also millet.

https://rte.social.ebu.io/EGYRCHVV3VQG

"Estonia's gene bank safeguards heritage crop varieties, preserving both biodiversity and family histories while urging gardeners to save and grow old seeds.

Many people still remember the taste of a particularly meaty tomato from their grandmother's garden or the pleasantly firm texture of a homegrown potato. Over time, however, many of these traditional vegetable varieties have fallen out of use. Preserving them is the task of the Rural Life Knowledge Center's gene bank, which collects and maintains the genetic diversity of field and garden crops, along with fascinating stories about Estonian families and places.

Varieties passed down from generation to generation are known as heritage varieties. According to Külli Annamaa, head of the gene bank, a variety qualifies as heritage if it has been in common use for at least 50 years. Annamaa herself prefers the parallel term "folk-selected variety," which already hints at its meaning: people themselves selected, over the years, the best plants to propagate, rather than buying ready-made varieties from a nursery.
...
"Annamaa stressed that heritage varieties are an inseparable part of Estonia's cultural heritage. Old varieties are often linked to fascinating stories passed down from generation to generation.

Estonia's most famous heritage variety is undoubtedly the Peipsi onion, brought here by Old Believers three centuries ago. But there are many other stories. For example, the Rural Life Knowledge Center's gene bank has received an onion variety about a hundred years old, originally brought into a family by a cook who had worked at Sangaste Manor. Along with the variety, the family also preserved the traditional growing instructions. "Before planting, the onion must be soaked, and then a third cut off from the top so that it develops many bulbs underneath," Annamaa explained.

Another story comes from Aili Linroos's old rutabaga variety, which had already been grown by her mother and grandmother. This variety has passed through several generations and survived even the hardest times. "When the family was deported to Siberia, they took rutabaga seeds with them, and when they returned, the seeds came back too," Annamaa said. Today, Aili continues to cultivate the variety and has shared it with the gene bank, ensuring its preservation for future generations.
...
"The work of the gene bank is important not only for preserving cultural heritage. Most countries have taken on an international obligation to safeguard their biological diversity. Külli Annamaa emphasized that the best way to preserve old varieties is by continuing to grow them. "The outdoor environment is changing. For example, the climate is warming, but our seeds are kept constantly in cold storage. When we take them out 40 years from now, they may no longer feel at home in the new conditions," she said. By contrast, plants grown in gardens continually adapt to changing circumstances."

https://news.err.ee/1609810488/herita...

Moss seeds are called spores, as with ferns.

https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/2...

"Moss has been shown to survive one of the harshest environments imaginable: the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS).

Researchers sent three different types of moss structures to the orbital outpost: protonemata, or juvenile moss; brood cells; and sporophytes, or encapsulated spores. The juvenile moss didn't survive the experience. Some of the brood cells made it, but 80 percent of the spores were still capable of reproducing after a nine-month stint outside the outpost.

"We expected almost zero survival, but the result was the opposite: most of the spores survived," said Tomomichi Fujita of Hokkaido University. "We were genuinely astonished by the extraordinary durability of these tiny plant cells."

The idea of sending moss into space came to Fujita during studies of plant evolution and development. Mosses thrive in some of the harshest environments on Earth, and can be found anywhere from the peaks of mountains to the lava fields of active volcanoes.

However, the exterior of the ISS was another matter entirely. As well as wildly varying temperatures – between -196°C and 55°C – there are also high levels of radiation to deal with."

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-relea...