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About this seed
Shrubby stylo (Stylosanthes scabra) is a drought-hardy perennial legume that grows up to about 2 m tall on a taproot reaching about 4 m. Its seed coat is hard: freshly harvested seed can be 70–90% hard-seeded, so scarification decides how well it germinates.
Also known as: Shrubby stylo, Scabrous stylo (Australia), Pencilflower (USA).
What the plant is
An erect to sub-erect shrubby perennial grown mainly as a pasture plant with sown and native grasses, and also for cut-and-carry feeding and in silvopasture under moderate shade. Sources record no toxicity to livestock. It is a forage legume rather than a kitchen herb.
Scarifying the seed
- Hard seededness is the main restriction to germination.
- Published dry-heat treatments for pasture seed: 1–2 hours at 85 °C in an oven, or 15–30 seconds on a surface at 140–150 °C, then cool the seed to room temperature.
- For large quantities a suitably set hammer mill dehulls and scarifies about half of the seed.
- Species seed count: 400,000–500,000 seeds-in-pod per kg, or 600,000–800,000 dehulled seeds per kg (approximate).
Soil and rainfall
It suits infertile, acidic, sandy-surfaced soils and is poorly suited to heavier, less acidic soils; it is not suited to heavy clays. Wild collections include sites with as little as 350 mm of annual rain, and most come from areas receiving 700–1,600 mm.
Sowing steps
- Scarify the seed.
- Sow into a clean, well-drained, sandy mix.
- Keep moisture steady during germination and avoid waterlogging.
- Move seedlings gradually into stronger light.
We have no sourced germination temperature, emergence time or sowing depth for this species and do not state one.
FAQ
Can shrubby stylo survive frost?
Some ecotypes have moderate frost tolerance: cultivars stay green after light frosts and the crowns survive heavier frosts, but very heavy frost can kill plants. We do not state which ecotype this lot belongs to.
Is shrubby stylo a culinary herb?
No source describes it that way. It is documented as a pasture and cut-and-carry forage legume, and we make no culinary claim.