Abstract
Seeds of ten species of Cassia L. were studied for their water permeability capacity in relation to their micromorphology. It was observed that in Cassia, waxy deposition on the seed surface and water imperviousness were not always correlated significantly with each other. Seeds of some species having thick waxy deposition on their surface also had the same response towards permeability to water as observed in the species with the seeds of without waxy deposition after a short period of soaking in water at room temperature. Out of ten, the water pervious capacity of the seeds of seven species, i.e. Cassia glauca, C. javanica, C. mimosoides, C. nodosa, C. obovata, C. pumila and C. siamea was directly proportional to the presence and absence of waxy deposition on their seed surface. This nature of seeds may be useful in assessing germination capacity of forest tree species.
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