GERMINATION REQUIREMENTS OF NEW-ZEALAND NATIVE PLANTS - A REVIEW

A review of our knowledge of the germination requirements of seeds of indigenous New Zealand plants is presented. A search of the literature reveals information, in varying detail, on only 113 species, some 5% of the estimated total of vascular plants, most of them from forest habitats. The New Zealand flora, much of it now endangered, represents a unique genetic resource. There is an urgent need for research in seed biology if this resource is to be conserved and maintained. Germination characteristics are tentatively assigned to the physiological groupings of vivipary, recalcitrance, quiescence, and dormancy. With regard to the latter, evidence is reviewed for the roles of light, low temperature, after-ripening, inhibitors, and seed-coat imposed dormancy.