GERMINATION FAILURES OF THE MAGNOLIA IN PUERTO RICO

Abstract

During the summer of 1936 Mr. L. R. Holdridge of the U. S. Forestry Service called my attention to germination failures of Magnolia portoricensis Bello. This and the very closely related species M. splendens Urban produce exceptionally fine woods but unfortunately both species are being exterminated very rapidly. Both species were very abundant at one time but at the present, it is practically impossible to find young trees in the forest. The Forestry Station has been trying to overcome his difficulty by sowing seeds in seed beds and growing seedlings for transplanting. Up to the present only one seedling of M. borinquensis has been produced although thousands of seeds have been sown.