An Expanded Survey of Seed Germination for Barro Colorado Island

I present the largest survey of seed germination yet for Barro Colorado Island (BCI) and central Panama, based on 1,226 seed collections from 732 species, in 103 families, including trees, shrubs, lianas, vines, herbs, and epiphytes. Most collections were germinated in both sun and shade habitats in growing houses on BCI, simulating tree fall gap and shaded understory conditions. Many ad hoc treatments were also utilized. Data were collected during the field portion (1985–1989) of the BCI Seedling Flora Project. This publication marks the public release of the entire dataset, parts of which have previously been shared with BCI colleagues. I hope that this dataset will provide background information for those needing to produce seedlings from seed for experimental studies and that it will encourage others to incorporate seed germination as an additional plant trait into community analyses.