Germination of important East African mountain forest trees

Abstract

The germination ecology of 25 tree species of the montane forests of Mount Kenya (Kenya) was studied. Five different germination strategies could be observed under similar ecological conditions. Pioneer species often required mechanical scarification before germinating, but did not react to different light conditions. Many species germinated without scarification, but were strongly influenced by the duration of seed storage. An equally high number of species positively reacted to bright illumination. Primary forest species mainly germinated under low illumination or dark conditions and showed a very short seed viability. The storage temperature did not influence viability, whereas the maturity of the seeds collected had a considerable influence on the germination success.

Journal of East African Natural History Vol. 89 (1&2) 2000: pp. 101-111