Seed dormancy in plants can have a significant impact on their ecology. Recent work by Rojas-Villa and Quijano-Abril (2023) classified the seed dormancy class in 14 plant species from the Andean forests of Colombia by using germination trials and several microscopy techniques to describe seed anatomy and morphology. The authors conclude that Cecropia species have both physical and physiological dormancy (of which they call physiophysical dormancy) based on seed morphology and mean germination times of over 30 days. Here, we present seed permeability and germination data from neotropical pioneer tree species: Ochroma pyramidale, Cecropia longipes, and Cecropia insignis, as well as Cecropia peltata (present in Rojas-Villa and Quijano-Abril, 2023), to demonstrate that Cecropia species do not exhibit dormancy and also have high levels of seed permeability. We find that the mean germination time for all three Cecropia species in our study was less than 30 days. This suggests a need for reporting the conditions in which germination trials take place to allow for comparability among studies and using seed permeability tests to accurately identify the physical dormancy class of seeds. Further, we present data from the literature that suggests that dormancy is not a requirement for seed persistence in the seed bank.

Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti Medic. ♯4 ABUTH) seeds were exposed to variable moisture and temperatures from 15 to 100 C. As temperature increased, the percent of permeable seeds increased. Soaking 1 h at 70 C reduced hard seeds from 99 to 15 percent. Increased available water increased the effect of temperature on reduction of hard seeds. Thus, immersion in hot water was more effective than dry or humid heat. High temperature acted within a few minutes to reduce hardseededness. Viability of hard seeds was reduced at temperatures above 70 C. Germination of permeable seeds was optimal at 24 to 30 C and declined above 35 C. Germination of permeable seeds decreased after pretreatments above 40 C. Temperature and duration of heat exposure were inversely related to germination inhibition. Recently harvested seeds (3-yr-old) remained hard under alternating 4 to 34 C but became permeable after drying at 34 C. Old seeds (15-yr) did not become permeable after drying.