In vitro culture of Mondia whitei (Periplocaceae), a threatened Zulu medicinal plant

Abstract

Single-node explants of Mondia whitei (Hook.f.) Skeels derived from in vitro cultured seedlings were used to produce rooted plantlets on the medium of Murashige and Skoog (1962) supplemented with 1 mgl-1 BA, both in the absence and presence of charcoal, and solidified with 0.3% w/v Gelrite. Eighty five percent of the plants were successfully hardened off under a 20/4 h light/dark photoperiod and conditions of 80-100% humidity. M. whitei is a highly prized and consequently over-exploited Zulu medicinal plant which is destructively harvested for its strongly aromatic roots. These are used for both their medicinal and food spice attributes. This micropropagation protocol allows for ca. 2000 plantlets to be produced from a single seed following 7 to 8 subcultures at 4 to 6 week intervals.