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Seed germination of six Allium species of subgenus Melanocrommyum was tested. The plants occur in the Irano-Turanian floristic region of Central Asia, characterized by hot dry summers, after seed maturation, and cold and snowy winters, when seeds lie in the wet soil. Germination was low in seeds wetted at 15 degrees C, but various periods at 4 degrees C promoted germination. Scarification reduced dormancy at 15 degrees C but not at 4 degrees C. The differing germination between two accessions of A. suworowii, may be related to after-ripening. The ecological background of the natural habitat, and seed harvest time, seem to play predominant roles in seed germinability. (C) 2000 Academic Press.