In vitro plant regeneration and clonal micropropagation of Leontopodium nivale (Ten.) Heut ex Hand.‐Mazz. (Asteraceae)

Abstract An in vitro micropropagation method was developed for Leontopodium nivale (Ten.) Heut ex Hand.‐Mazz., an endemic species of the central Apennines, which is, at present, an endangered plant due to indiscriminate collecting carried out by tourists. Callus induction was obtained from cotyledons of in vitro germinated seeds on medium containing 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and the regeneration of shoots was readily achieved using 6‐benzylaminopurine at concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 mg/L. After rooting on auxin‐containing media, plantlets were transferred to hydroponics for acclimation, and then to soil. Abbreviations: 6‐BAP, 6‐benzylaminopurine; 2,4‐D, 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid; IAA, indole‐3‐acetic acid; Kin, kinetin; MS, Murashige and Skoog medium; NAA, 1‐naphthaleneacetic acid