| ABSTRACT Seeds of Erythrina speciosa (Papilionoideae) exhibit physical dormancy, but evidence has suggested that the proportion of impermeable seeds increases with storage. There are no records of structural variation in the testa of E. speciosa that justifies the difference in the percentage of seeds with physical dormancy. Therefore, the present study investigated the difference in permeability between mature seeds of E. speciosa that were freshly collected and those stored for 12 months. Seeds were examined for changes in testa structure that could result in differences in the percentage of seeds in physical dormancy. Thus, imbibition curves and water gaps were determined, and surface micromorphology, anatomy, and histochemistry of the testa were... |
