Seed Generation of Eucalyptus pauciflora Sieb. ex Spreng. From Low and High Altitude Populations in Victoria

Abstract

Seeds from two subalpine populations of E. pauciflora stored for 1 year were completely dormant and required stratification to induce germination. Fresh seeds from the same populations were partially dormant. Seeds from a third subalpine population whether fresh or stored were only partially dormant. Seeds from two lowland populations were not dormant, although stratification did reduce the time taken to complete germination. The optimum germination temperature for all populations was near 20°C. Temperatures above 25°C induced a secondary dormancy in stratified seeds from two of the subalpine populations.