Houstonia montana Small (Rubiaceae) is a federally-listed herbaceous perennial known only from 16 populations across the rock outcrops and grassy balds of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Species recovery objectives include augmentation and/or (re)introduction into suitable habitat and the establishment of a long-term conservation collection. However, before any action involving germ- plasm storage or plant propagation can be pursued, the seed biology of the species must be more fully understood. This study aimed to assess the effect of pre-stratification dry storage time on germination success. Seeds were collected from two populations of H. montana in October 2023 and subse- quently stored at dry, ambient conditions for three durations of time: two weeks, three months, and six months post collection. After dry storage, seeds were cold-stratified in moist filter paper at 3°C for 60 days and then transferred to moist filter paper in petri dishes for germination under controlled conditions in a growth chamber. Germination reached 88–100% across the dry storage treatments and populations, indicating high seed viability for seeds stored up to six months before cold stratifi- cation. Time-to-event analysis identified a significantly faster germination rate for seeds stored for two weeks post-harvest compared to seeds stored for three or six months but there were no significant differences in germination rate in the latter two treatments. Collectively, the results provide a basis for the timing and planning of projects requiring seed germination of Houstonia montana and point towards a two-week dry storage time before cold stratification for quick germination with high seed- ling yield.
