-This study has aimed to characterize the morphology of fruit, seed and seedling and evaluate the germination of Hymenaea courbaril L., under different substrates and temperatures. The physical characteristics were determined, as well as the morphological description of the internal and external parts of fruits and seeds, stages of germination and early seedling development. Germination tests were conducted in a completely randomized design, in a 3x2 factorial scheme, with three temperatures (20 °C, 25 °C and 30 °C) and two substrates (sand and vermiculite), with six plots of 30 seeds. The germination percentage, germination speed index (GSI) and mean germination time (MGT) were calculated. The fruits are dry and woody and the seeds are exalbuminous, with an axial embryo. The germination is epigeal and the seedling is phanerocotylar. The combination of vermiculite or sand associated to temperatures of 25 °C or 30 °C is effective for conducting the germination tests.

Modeling diameter distribution in natural forests is an important tool for understanding the native woody species dynamics, supporting decision-making for degraded lands management and restoration. Therefore, this work aimed to fit probabilistic density functions to evaluate the diameter structure of three tree species with economic interest, such as Campomansesia xanthocarpa Marl. Ex. O. Berg, Piptadenia gonoacantha (Mart.) J.F. Macbr. and Zeyheria tuberculosa (Vell.) Bureau ex Verl., in a Semideciduous Seasonal Forest fragment at São Paulo State, Brazil. The data came from 83 temporary plots of 10 m x 20 m systematically distributed along 164 ha. Log-normal, Gamma, and Weibull functions were fitted to the three species using the fitdistrplus-package in the R program. Kolmogorov-Smirnov's adherence test was used to evaluate the fits at a 5% probability level. The functions were selected employing Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) and Schwarz's Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), in addition to a graphical analysis of the fitted functions. The results indicated that the three species diameter structure is positively asymmetric, representing the exponential pattern, representing continuous natural regeneration. AIC and BIC statistics indicated the Log-normal function to describe the diameter distribution of C. xanthocarpa and Z. tuberculosa, while the Gamma function was the most appropriate for P. gonoacantha. For the three species, the graphical analysis showed the Gamma function results in the best fit without tendency for estimating frequency density per diameter class.