Bunium persicum, which grows in the wild in Iran, is an important medicinal plant used in food and drugs. Seed dormancy is one of the main barriers to its cultivation and domestication. To evaluate germination behaviour, seeds of eight populations were collected from their natural habitat in different regions of Iran. There was no germination of seeds from any of the populations under control conditions or with GA3 or KNO3. Germination only occurred following cold stratification at 4°C. The highest germination percentages were obtained following 84 days stratification treatment (43-69% germination with a mean of 58% across populations). It can be concluded that Bunium persicum seeds have deep physiological dormancy and that stratification is needed to break the dormancy. A longer stratification period (> 84 days) is recommended.

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