Micropropagation of Cunila galioides, a popular medicinal plant of south Brazil

Axillary buds of field plants of Cunila galioides Benth. were used to evalu ate the effect of growth regulators and culture media on the in vitro shoot proliferation and growing. The highest multiplication rate was obtained us ing Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 8.8 muM of benzyladen ine. Repeated subcultures of shoot tips and single nodes at 4-week interval s for eight months on the above medium enabled mass multiplication of shoot s without any evidence of decline. The best conditions for rooting were MS medium plus 0.5 to 2.5 muM of indolebutyric acid. The rooted plants were su ccessfully transferred to soil, exhibiting a normal development.