Abstract:

 Seed banking following internationally agreed standards is an important way for preserving collections of wild plant species ex situ; but this method is not suitable for desiccation sensitive species. Lauraceae comprehends some of the dominant species in the evergreen broadleaved forest in the south of China and contains many species both of ecological and economical importance. However, study on seed biology such as germination and desiccation tolerance of this family is scarce. Seeds of 9 species from 5 genera of this family were collected and their dormancy status and germination requirement were studied; also their desiccation tolerance were determined using a modified 100seed test. The results showed that seeds of Cinnamomum camphora probably have intermediate physiological dormancy; seeds of Actinodaphne forrestii, Actinodaphne obovata, Cinnamomum migao, Lindera metcalfiana var. dictyophylla, Lindera communis and Neolitsea polycarpa are nondeep physiological dormant; Seeds of Cinnamomum burmannii and Phoebe glaucophylla may have no or negligible dormancy. All 9 species lost seed viability after desiccated to 286%-716% moisture content while still retained considerable viability with moisture content ranged from 1732% to 4487% after moist storage; thus seeds of the 9 species are all desiccation sensitive and can not be stored at the conventional seed bank conditions.

Key words: Lauraceae, Seed, Dormancy status, Germination, Desiccation tolerance