I get a few seedlings from my hedychiums in the garden every year. I have had seedlings of Dr. Moy, Coronarium, Daniel Weeks, and Pink V. They sprout up in satellite locations out from the main rhizome mass in Spring and early summer. We have a couple freezes here every year, usually at least one hard freeze that takes the hedychiums to the ground. I just leave the seeds on the stalks til after this happens, then cut the stalks after the freeze and shake them to scatter seed, before throwing them on the compost. I don;t actually harvest the seed or do anything with it. So I don't really know the answer to your question, other than to say that they will sprout, even as windfalls, and they do survive to be viable even after freezes to as low as 20F.

Since I'm a season behind Australia, my seed pod just opened. I wanted to resurrect this discussion to find out some information. Did your seeds germinate, Scott? How did you handle them? Did you just scatter them as suggested?

I sow them just like anything else: sprinkle them on top of a peat/perlite/vermiculite mixture and cover with perlite to the thickness of the seed.

Fresh is best, and you don't have to clean off all the red pulp, just maybe remove any loose bits. Keep it evenly moist until they germinate.

If you live in a cold climate, you might have to give them bottom heat and keep the seedlings indoors until the weather warms up, but we never have to worry about that so I don't really know the drill.

I'd probably get a better germination rate if I gathered the seeds and started them indoors, but it doesn't seem to be necessary for me to do that to get some volunteers. Its kinda fun when they pop up.