One-year-old, greenhouse-grown seedlings of Lindera melissifolia (pondberry) were transplanted to permanent plots in Butler County, Missouri in 1990. In 1993, in situ seeding was done on the same tract and near naturally-occurring pondberry populations in Ripley County, Missouri. Plant heights of transplants have fluctuated but averaged slightly shorter in 2000 than in 1993 due to frequent die-backs and resprouting. Direct seeding yielded increasing cumulative germination for the first three years with a leveling off thereafter. Seven years after planting, fifty-two percent of seeds had germinated but survival was only 5%. Mean height of one-year-old seedlings was 8.44 cm.