Characteristics and germinative potentialities of the seeds of Tetrapleura tetraptera (Shum. and Thonn.) Taub. (Mimosaceae) according to their location in the pod

Tetrapleura tetraptera is a leguminous tree with lignified and large pods. These pods has a length of 20-35 cm and contain 14-21 tough seeds which hardly germinate. Two groups of seeds are used to evaluate characteristic and capacities of germination, depending from their location in the pod group Soa collected on a young tree and group Yaounde collected on an older. The results that the heaviest seeds are located in the median part (rows 5-10) of the pod. The capacity of unscarified seeds in controlled conditions (germination in vitro) varies from 3 % (group Soa) to 11 % (group Yaounde) after 15 days. When they are scarified, their capacity of germination of seeds is more homogenous and faster in the median zone (80- 100 %), compared to the extremities (50-100 %). Moreover, the growth of young plants in breeding ground (phenomenon which needs more study) seems to be faster for individuals developed from the seeds of median part of the pod.