To improve the production, commercialization and official certification of Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reiss. seeds, investigations were made to insure an appropriate method to harvest seeds with high quality; how to distinguish pure seeds from inert components resulting from seed harvesting and characterization of normal seedlings who are necessary for the performance of the germination test. Fruits in this study were originated from plants grown near Mandirituba, Paraná, Brazil. These fruits were taken from two-year old plants grown in an open garden. Collecting fruits from plants by hand-stripping before pericarps opened proved to be the most efficient method of collection. Placing fruits in single layer over newsprint at ambient air temperature in shade, for two weeks, resulted in pericarp opening, exposition of seeds and aril drying. The average weight of 100 seeds was 2.69g (sd = 0.06, mode =2.7g, maximum = 2.77g, minimum = 2.60g). For testing the seed quality, samples should include 180g of harvested material and for the purity analysis samples should include 90g. Chestnut colored seeds are an indicative of seed maturity and the germination rate is greater (98%) then greenish or immature seeds (28%). The proportion of unripe seeds in a lot to be analyzed will directly influence the evaluation of the germination rate and therefore should be stated explicitly in results of any analysis.