The effect ofsalinity on the germination of Sonneratia apetala Buch.-Ham. was studied. The best germination success was observed in the 0-5 ppt salinity range with the highest value (98.67%) at the 0 ppt (fresh water) level. Germination success decreased significantly with the increasing level of salinity. Increasing salinity also remarkably delayed the germination. Satisfactory germination success was observed when salt treated seeds were sown in fresh water condition. This indicates that salt has only a reversible inhibitory effect on germination. The rate of recovery from the inhibitory effect of salt was not found to be sensitive to the level of salinity, and did not exhibit any definite relationship with the length of exposure of seed to the saline condition