Crataeva tapia L., forest species belonging to the family Caparidaceae popularly known as the rag is a fruit tree with multiple uses in folk medicine, as timber and as ornamental tree. Thus the objective of the study was to define substrate and temperature for conduction of germination and vigor tests with seeds of C. tapia. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with treatments arranged in a factorial 5 x 6, with temperature factors (20, 25, 30, 35 °C constant and alternating 20-30 °C) and substrate (paper towel, on blotting paper, sand, vermiculite, and plantmax® bioplant®) in four replicates of 25 seeds. The characteristics were analyzed: percentage, first count and index of germination speed, as well as length and seedling dry weight. For seed germination of C. tapia is recommended temperatures at 20-30 °C on all substrates, except on blotting paper. The paper towel provided the highest percentage of seed germination when compared to other substrates.
trapiá; forest seeds; medicinal plant; seed analysis
