Seed viability of selected tree, shrub, and vine species stored in the field

Abstract

Seeds from 10 species were collected, sealed in fiberglass screen pouches, and stored under hardware-cloth cages on both a forest and cleared site for up to five years. At each site, half of the pouches were placed under leaf litter and the other half were planted in mineral soil. Liquidambar styraciflua and Callicarpa americana seeds had high germination rates under all conditions. Quercus falcata, Sassafras albidum, Rhus copallina, and Vaccinium arboreum required planting in mineral soil to ensure germination. Planted Myrica cerifera and Vitis aestivalis seeds germinated well on both sites. Myrica cerifera also germinated well if placed under litter on the forest floor and Vitis aestivalis if placed under litter on the cleared site. Germination of Crataegus uniflora seeds was erratic. Most Lonicera japonica were unsound when collected. Germination rates generally decreased over time, but some Sassafras albidum, Myrica cerifera, and Vaccinium arboreum seed germinated after four years, and Rhus coppalina, Callicarpa americana, Crataegus uniflora, and Vitis aestivalis seeds germinated after five years in the field.