Trema micrantha seeds were submitted to manual and chemical scarification in order to
favour the germination. For chemical scarification, the seeds were immersed in concentrated sulphuric acid
during 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 minutes. After treatment, the seeds were sown on wet filter paper, in
gerbox, and incubated at 20-30oC in an eight-hour photoperiod. The seeds that did not germinate until the
end of the germination test (104 days) were cut longitudinally and submitted to a 1% tetrazolium solution
during four hours at 40oC, to verify their viability. It was found that manual scarification had a lower
germination percentage and velocity and viable seeds percentage. The sulphuric acid scarification accelerated
the germination of seeds, being more effective the period of 20 to 30 minutes of treatment. Using the best
immersion period, germination tests with Trema micrantha seeds can be interrupted five weeks from the
start.