Brosimum gaudichaudii Tréc. (Moraceae), a typical Cerrado species popularly known as "algodãozinho" and "mama-cadela", is greatly appreciated for the sweet flavor of its fruits. It is a medicinal plant used to treat vitiligo. The aim of this work was to evaluate the biometric characteristics of seeds and the emergence and development of seedlings from different parts of "cerrado mato-grossense". Seeds were randomly collected and the experimental design was completely randomized with three treatments (seed provenances) and four replicates. Seed biometric characteristics were measured with a digital pachymeter. The seeds were distributed into sand substrate in plastic boxes at 2 cm depth and stored at 26ºC and 40% relative humidity for 42 days. Seeds were considered germinated when they formed 2 cm-tall seedlings. The following characteristics were analyzed: seed dimensions, 100-seed weight, seedling emergence percentage and mean time, height, basal diameter, leaf number and stem color degree (green, pinkish, reddish and red). Although there was no difference in the emergence percentage of Brosimum gaudichaudii from the three provenances, significant differences were verified for both emergence mean time and development of seedlings from distinct provenances.
Moraceae; germination; biometry; medicinal plants; cerrado
