Pasania glabra is a native tree species of Taiwan and is estimated to be a near-threatened
plant. The purpose of this study was to examine the germination characteristics and seed storage
behavior of P. glabra so as to determine efficient pretreatment for germination and an appropriate
seed storage method. Results showed that seeds of P. glabra were dormant, and the dormancy
could be broken by low-temperature stratification. Fresh mature seeds of P. glabra germinated
slowly and took about 20 wk to completely germinate with a mean germination time (MGT) of
about 70 d under fluctuating temperatures of 30/20℃ with 8 h of light. However, stratification at 1
and 4℃ was unable to efficiently improve germination percentages but significantly decreased the
MGTs in a germination period of 20 wk, and 1 and 4℃ stratification for 2~12 mo completely broke
the dormancy of P. glabra seeds. The MGT of fresh mature seeds significantly decreased from
about 70 d to about 30 d after 4 mo of stratification at 4℃. Therefore, pretreatment with 4℃ chilling
for the germination of P. glabra seeds is practical for nursery operations. We suggest that prechilling
at 4℃ for 4 mo should be applied to fresh mature seeds of P. glabra. Furthermore, fresh
mature seeds of P. glabra were extremely sensitive to desiccation. Seeds completely lost viability
when the moisture content (MC) dropped below 25%. However, P. glabra seeds maintained their
initial viability for up to 2 yr when stored at 1~4℃ with moist sphagnum. Thus, seeds of P. glabra
are defined as having temperate-recalcitrant storage behavior due to their extreme intolerance of
dehydration and high viability with low-temperature moist storage. The optimal seed storage conditions
of P. glabra are moist storage at 1~4℃ for fresh mature seeds, and the initially germinable
seeds still had germinability for up to 2 yr.