ABSTRACT
Myrtaceae family is well represented in the flora of Rio Grande do Sul, in the Southern region of Brazil. The seed and the fruits from six trees species of this family were examined concerning their size, color, mass and water content. The species were the following: Acca sellowiana (Berg.) Burnet; Campomanesia guazumifolia (Camb.) Berg.; Campomanesia xanthocarpa Berg.; Eugenia rostrifolia Legr.; Myrcianthes pungens (Berg.) Legr and Psidium cattleyanum Sabine. The germinative behavior of the seeds was evaluated and the substratum used was autoclaved, which was placed in gerbox (11 x 11cm), at constant temperatures 15, 20, 25 or 30°C or in alternate ones 15°C/ 30°C, with fourteen hours period, in the highest temperature. The experiments were also carried out in the dark. The seeds of Acca sellowiana, Myrcianthes pungens, Psidium cattleyanum showed positive photoblastic behavior. All species germinated in 90 days except Campomanesia guazumifolia which took around 150 days to germinate. The water content ranged from 9% in Campomanesia guazumifolia to 68% in Myrcianthes pungens and the seeds varied from intermediate to recalcitrant ones. The eugenoid embryos had a cryptocotylar germination, however the myrciod and the pimentoid had a fanerocotylar germination.
Key-words:
Acca sellowiana; Campomanesia guazumifolia; Campomanesia xanthocarpa; Eugenia rostrifolia