Seed Identification?

[coco25]

Anyone have any idea what this is?
Looks kinda like a shriveled corn kernel?
But pink?
Stumped??

 

[thistlebloom]

Maybe treated corn seed? Where did you get it?

 

[coco25]

Found them in an old pickle jar in one of our sheds

 

[Smart Red]

It is treated corn seed. What variety is a guess, but the pink color is required by law to prevent treated seed from human consumption.

 

[coco25]

Thank yall, I just knew this was the best place to ask!
Yall are all so knowledgeable!!

 

[Smart Red]

If you want to try planting the corn, you should do a germination test first. Put about 10 seeds in damp paper towels and count how many seeds germinate and start sending out roots. That will give you an indication of how likely you be to get germination if you plant the seeds in your garden.

Why waste the space if they are too old to grow?

 

[coco25]

Doing spring cleaning in one of the sheds I found them tucked way in the back on top of a shelf. I found a lot of containers of different seeds in an old pickle jar left behind behind from the first owner of our house & we've been here for 12 years, the couple was in their late 80's when they sold to us, so I'm imagining the seeds have probably been there for a pretty long time. I was just puzzled by what they were as I had never seen pink corn kernels.

 

[Nyboy]

In this months martha stewart living there is article about how she found seeds from 1960s that belonged to her father. The seeds sprouted and flowered when planted.

 

[coco25]

Hmmm,,you never know. I might try some of the different ones just to see if anything grows & what they all are!

 

[so lucky]

Sweet corn shrivels pretty bad when it is dried, so that must have been a nice sweet corn. High sugar content= shriveled kernels. I don't believe the seed is viable very long, so if it was just sitting in a garden shed for at least 12 years, the chances of even one seed germinating is pretty small. If it had been frozen or vacuum sealed, maybe it would last longer.