Seed dormancy and germination traits of Campanulaceae species in relation to ecological factors remains unclear. Hence, we clarified the seed germination characteristics of five
Campanulaceae species (
Adenophora triphylla (Thunb.) A.DC.,
Asyneuma japonicum (Miq.) Briq.,
Campanula punctata Lam.,
Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf., and
Lobelia sessilifolia Lamb.) native to Korea. Seeds were subjected to varying temperatures, cold stratification (CS) durations, and gibberellic acid (GA
3) concentrations. Seeds of all species imbibed water readily, suggesting the absence of physical dormancy. For
A.
triphylla,
A.
japonicum, and
L.
sessilifolia, suitable seed germination occurred under elevated temperature conditions: 74.0 ± 6.2%, 37.0 ± 1.0%, and 26.0 ± 3.5% germination, respectively, at 25 °C, and 79.0 ± 3.8%, 38.0 ± 3.5%, and 62.0 ± 8.4% germination, respectively, at 25/15 °C (day/night) after 7 weeks after incubation. Germination of
C.
punctata and
C.
pilosula was consistently low across all temperatures. CS treatment resulted in significant final germination improvement to ~70.0% in four species, excluding
C.
pilosula. GA
3 application significantly enhanced seed germination by ~60.0% across all species, with the most notable effects observed at 1000 mg∙L
−1. Overall,
Campanulaceae species seeds are permeable, and pre-treatment with CS and GA
3 is required for effective seed germination.
Full article
