The aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of different temperatures, constant and alternating, on the germination of Croton floribundus Spreng (Euphorbiaceae) seeds and also the efficiency of a previous soaking treatment in cold water (room temperature). In the first test, the seeds were submitted to the standard germination test at the following temperatures 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 20-30 and 25-35ºC, with and without previous soaking treatment. In the second test, the seeds were submitted to germination at temperatures of 20-25, 25-30, 30-35, 20-30, 25-35 and 20-35ºC. The characteristics evaluated were the percentage and speed of germination and seedling mass and length, with four replications of 25 seeds. A completely randomized design was used with 8x2 treatments in the first essay and six treatments in the second. The averages were compared by the Tukey test (P<0.05). In the first experiment, germination was not observed at 15, 20 and 40ºC; at 25ºC the germination was minimum; high germination was observed at the alternating temperatures. Soaking in cold water did not improve the germination. In the second experiment, the highest germination rate was observed at 20-30ºC. Thus, the standard germination test can be conducted at 20-30ºC for 28 days.
forest seed; dormancy; seed analysis; viability
