CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Brazil is a mega diverse country, but as consequence of habitat degradation several plant species are threatened. Quillaja brasiliensis is a rare and threatened tree species of the temperate forests of South America. We investigated protocols for germination, seedling growth and transplantation. We discuss some ecological matters that could affect the species? establishment. We evaluated germination under a range of storage periods, temperature and light conditions, the effects of transplantation and the development of seedlings under two sowing methods. We found that seeds germinated rapidly and have a high germination rate. Temperature inﬂuenced germination vigour, and photoperiod inﬂuenced synchrony. There was increased and faster germination under controlled culture conditions. The high germination rate and rapid growth qualify Q. brasiliensis as a potential species for restoring degraded areas and enrichment programmes.