Germination behaviour of seeds of the New Zealand woody species Beilschmiedia tawa, Dysoxylum spectabile, Griselinia lucida, and Weinmannia racemosa

Germination rates, percentage germination success, and some aspects of germ ination delay were examined for seeds of four species, taken from freshly c ollected fruit. In a treatment where seeds were cleaned of pericarp, kept m oist, and in maximum available daylight, germination was relatively rapid f or all species, during autumn-winter, with a high degree of success (Weinma nnia 85%, the others 96-100%). In the dark, germination rate was slower for Beilschmiedia and Griselinia but the success was similar. Dysoxylum seeds died in the dark, possibly because they were too wet. Germination of nearly all Weinmannia seeds was inhibited in the dark but they germinated well wh en put into the light. Germination on soil was also relatively slow, but mo derately to highly successful for each species except Weinmannia. No seeds of Beilschmiedia, Dysoxylum, or Griselinia germinated in-fruit, or in a tre atment where the cleaned seeds were kept dry for several months before bein g wetted. Dried Weinmannia seeds germinated with moderate success. When bur ied 5 cm deep in soil most Beilschmiedia and Dysoxylum seeds sent shoots to the surface. All Griselinia seeds ill this treatment died underground, pos sibly after germinating. After 20 months' burial, Weinmannia seeds germinat ed when unearthed, with a high degree of success.