2.2 Seed preparation and storage
Seeds were removed from the fruit and washed in a sieve under running water containing a few drops of neutral detergent to remove excess mucilage surrounding the seeds. After washing, seeds were placed in a grow room at 25-28°C to dry on filter paper for 24 hours. Seeds remained stored that way for another 14 days until the experiments. This procedure of removing mucilage and drying, demonstrated by previous experiments, is the best condition for the germination of seeds of this species.