Rooting of Elaeocarpus yoga, an Ornamental Tree Indigenous to Guam

Abstract

Elaeocarpus yoga Merr. (Tiliaceae) is an attractive tree indigenous to the Mariana Islands and Palau. Recently its population has declined due to deforestation, typhoon damage, and pest problems. Stem cuttings of E. yoga were taken from hardwood, semihardwood, or softwood and treated with acid or salt forms of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or napthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at several concentrations. The cuttings were treated with on of the following: acid form at 0.5 mL·L -1 IBA + 0.25 mL·L -1 NAA; 1 mL·L -1 IBA + 0.5 mL·L -1 NAA, 2 mL·L -1 IBA + 1 mL·L -1 NAA; salt form at 1, 3, and 8 g·kg -1 IBA/. Rooting after 8 weeks was compared among treatments. The salt form of the IBA treatment at 3 g·kg -1 produced the greatest rooting percentage, root number and length. The acid form containing both IBA and NAA produced the smallest average rooting percentage.