Seeds, ripe? Processing?

[Jim McClements, Dover, DE z6]

In a message dated 2999 1:21:05 PM, you wrote:

<< How does one know when the seeds are "ripe"
enough to be collected? Also, next year I'd like to collect seeds from those
of the 70 or so Arisaema that will bloom in our gardens that set seed, but how
does one process the seeds for donation to the AEG Seed Exchange?
>>

You can be sure that seeds are ripe once the berries have turned red. However,
a lot of the Asiatic arisaemas (like A. sikokianum) will still have green
berries when the first frost comes, and the seedheads can be brought into the
house or garage, left alone until the berries turn red and then harvested. The
seeds are almost always OK unless they are obviously small and underdeveloped.

It is easy to squeeze seeds out of ripe, juicy berries on a paper towel.
However, the juice causes skin irritation in a lot of us, and latex gloves
(even doubled!) are a good idea. It's a bit tedious to do a lot of seeds, but
there's no way that Craig has time to do it. If the berries have dried out,
they can be soaked for a few hours first. After removing the seeds from the
berries, let them dry for a day or two and then put them in envelopes.

Jim McClements