The aim of this review is to comment on the available data about germination of seeds from herb, shrub and tree species of the Cerrado after the publication of the review written by Felippe and Silva in 1984. Studies on seed germination of herbaceous species focused mainly on the responses of seeds to light, different ranges of temperature and storage in the soil. The majority of seeds from herb species germinate between 20°C and 30°C, and are photoblastic. Alternate temperatures favored germination in some seeds, but changed light sensitivity of the achenes of Bidens gardneri. Seeds of most of the shrub species of Melastomataceae are positive photoblastic; among the Velloziaceae, germination in the dark was observed in some species. Other shrub species show dormancy caused by impermeability of the seed tegument, as described for seeds of some species of Bauhinia. Their dormancy is broken by chemical scarification using sulphuric acid. Seeds of Heteropterys pteropetala are sensitive to very high temperatures, similar to those registered during burnings. Some species were considered to have allelopathic effects and could inhibit the germination of seeds of other species and the establishment of plantlets. Seeds of most tree species do not require light to germinate and the focus of the studies were on methods of dormancy breaking. Sulphuric acid and incisions in the tegument proved to be the most efficient methods to break dormancy. In general, the studies are limited to three major aspects: responses to light, effects of different temperatures and dormancy breaking. More studies are necessary to understand the physiological and biochemical aspects of reserve compounds and their mobilization during germination, as well as the effects of fire in these seeds. Key words: dormancy, photoblastism, soil seed bank, temperature Germinação de sementes de espécies de Cerrado: O objetivo desta revisão é comentar dados disponíveis sobre a germinação de sementes de espécies herbáceas, arbustivas e arbóreas do Cerrado, desde a publicação da revisão feita por Felippe e Silva na década de 1980. Estudos de germinação de sementes de espécies herbáceas do Cerrado enfatizam as respostas das sementes à luz, temperatura e armazenamento no solo. A maioria dessas sementes germina entre 20ºC e 30ºC e são fotoblásticas. Temperaturas alternadas nem sempre favoreceram a germinação das sementes, no entanto, alteraram a sensibilidade à luz em aquênios de Bidens gardneri. A maioria das sementes das espécies arbustivas de Melastomataceae estudadas apresentaram fotoblastismo positivo; entre as Velloziaceae, foi observada germinação no escuro em algumas espécies. Sementes de algumas espécies arbustivas possuem dormência causada pela impermeabilidade do tegumento, quebrada com imersão em ácido sulfúrico, como no gênero Bauhinia. Sementes de Heteropterys pteropetala são sensíveis a temperaturas altas, similares àquelas registradas durante as queimadas. Plantas de algumas espécies têm efeitos alelopáticos e podem inibir a germinação de sementes de o...