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Summary In this paper, diaspores and seedlings of Salvia przewalskii Maxim. were described. The three-year cycle of monthly germination analyses of seeds was carried out. The best germination of seeds was observed in the turn of spring and summer (June, July). It was found that the germination of diaspores of Salvia przewalskii in laboratory analysis does not depend on the influence of light and fluctuations of temperature within the range 20-30°C. After 5 years of storage in unheated room conditions, the diaspores of Salvia przewalskii germinated about 20%.

Salvia przewalskii Maxim. is an important Asian medicinal plant. The aim of the study was to investigate the reaction of seeds of this species to the priming and storage temperature. The germination, vigour and health of seeds were determined for untreated and osmoprimed diaspores, after harvest and 12 months of storage at 4 and 16°C. The seeds were primed in the polyethylene glycol (PEG) water solution with an osmotic potential of –0.8 and –1.1 MPa. It has been found that osmopriming of non-stored and stored seeds strongly reduced the time of germination. One-year storage of seeds both at 4 and 16°C caused statistically significant increase of the total number of germinating seeds, germination energy and capacity. The highest germination rate was found at the seeds stored at 16°C and primed with –0.8 MPa PEG solution.

Summary Morphological features of diaspores and seedlings of Inula helenium L. were described. A four-year cycle of monthly germination analysis was carried out. It was found that accessible light and various temperatures (30°C over 8 hours, 20°C over 16 hours) were optimal for the analysis of Inula helenium fruit germination ability. In these conditions, the percentage of germinated achenes was up to 90%. Diaspores stored in unheated room kept their viability even up to seven years after harvest.

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