Germination tests have been carried out on seeds of a Mediterranean population of sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.) collected from plants in Santa Margherita di Pula, in the southwest of Sardinia, Italy. Germination was evaluated in the dark at different temperatures and at various salt concentrations. The optimal conditions for germination were a constant 20 °C in deionized water or at a very low salt concentration. These conditions are strikingly different from those necessary for the germination of seeds from the Atlantic coast (Meadfoot Bay, England). The presence of dormancy in the seeds is analyzed and discussed in terms of ecophysiological control and mechanisms which prevent germination under adverse environmental conditions.

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