W.J. Beal’s Long-Term Seed Viability Study:

1879-2012

Frank W. TelewskiProfessor, Dept. of Plant Biology

Curator, W. J. Beal Botanical Garden & Campus Arboretum

Michigan State University

Professor William James Beal, born March 11, 1833, Adrian, Michigan; died 1924.

Attended Univ. of Michigan 1855-1859 (A.B. degree)

Taught natural sciences in Friend’s Academy, Union Springs, NY 1895-1861

Attended Harvard 1861-1863 to study with Asa Gray, Louis Agassiz and Jeffried Wyman (S.B. degree)

Question: How long can seeds remain viable in the soil?

• Farmers needed weed control• Mechanical removal (cultivation)• No herbicides!• Labor intensive

Experimental Design

• 21 different species selected• 50 seeds of each • Mixed in moderately moist sand• Twenty lots (1-pint bottles filled with mix)• Set upside-down, slanted, and buried uncorked on

campus• 2 species, oak and black walnut buried next to the

bottles

In 1879 Prof. Beal buried 20 bottles containing 20 species of seed.

What was included in the bottles?

• Agrostemma githago- corncockle• Amaranthus retroflexus- pigweed• Ambrosia artemisifolia- ragweed• Anthemis cotula- stinking

chamomile• Brassica nigra- black mustard• Bromus secalinus- rye brome• Capsella bursa-pastoris-shepherd's-

purse• Erechtites hieracifolia- American

burnweed• Euphorbia maculata- spotted spurge• Lepidium virginicum- peppergrass• Malva rotundifolia- Round-leaved

Mallow

• Plantago major- broadleaved plantain• Polygonum hydropiper- marshpepper

knotweed• Portulaca oleracea- Common Purslane• Setaria glauca- yellow foxtail• Stellaria media- chickweed• Trifolium repens- white clover• Verbascum thapsus- common mullein• (Verbascum blattaria- moth mullein)• Oenothera biennnis- evening primrose• Rumex crispus- curly dock• Thuja occidentalis- eastern white

cedar

Time Periods

• Professor Beal (five years)- 1884-1909• Professor Darlington (five years)- 1914-1920• Professor Darlington (ten years)- 1930-1960• Drs. Kivilaan and Bandurski- (ten years) 1970-

1980• Drs. Telewski and Zeevaart- (20 years) 2000

What Germinated?

• After first 5 years, 13 species germinated• Remained fairly constant until 30th year• By 60th year, only Verbascum was germinating

regularly.• In year 100, both Verbascum and Malva

germinated

122 year-old biennials

What Germinated in 2000?

25 Verbascum blattaria (50%)1 Malva rotundifolia (2%)

5 more bottles left.

Next bottle to be extracted?2020

In 1998, 125th anniversary of the founding of the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden, a new garden logo using the moth mullein flower to symbolize the contribution and longevity of Prof. Beal’s work, was adopted.