ABSTRACT
Qualea grandiflora Mart. occurs in riverine forests and in 'cerrado' areas, popularly known as 'pau- terra'. With the purpose of obtaining information about the reproductive spread of this species, it was studied the effect of temperature on seed germination capability. The temperatures used were: 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 ºC. The seeds were sown on paper towel in roll form, with four replicates of one experimental unit consisted of a roll with 25 seeds. The experiment followed a completely randomized design with six treatments and four replications. There was primary root emission at temperatures of 15 to 40 ºC. Values between 78 % and 93 % were obtained in a wide range of temperatures between 15 and 35 ºC. A normal seedling occurred in narrower range, between 20 and 35 ºC. The protrusion of the root began on the seventh day after sowing, except the 15 ºC which provided a slow and gradual process, beginning on the fourteenth day after hatching. At 40 ºC, the germination capability was less than 15 % and there was no normal seedling. For the seed germination of 'pau-terra', it is recommended that the temperature range between 20 and 30 ºC.
Keywords:
'pau-terra'; germination; medicinal species