ACACIA-KOA GRAY PLANTLETS FROM SOMATIC CALLUS-TISSUE

A clone of A. koa trees was grown from shoot tip callus tissue that differentiated into shoot primordia on a basal medium supplemented with coconut water followed by a medium with 5 mg/l benzyladenine. The shoot elongated when placed first on the coconut water medium and then on one with 1 mg/l benzyladenine, becoming a normal seedling in appearance. It rooted when placed on a medium with 0.2 mg/l indolebutyric acid and produced several additional shoots when growing on unsupplemented medium. Five of these shoots were separated and are growing independently. Koa, a valuable timber tree joins the few tree species to be propagated by tissue culture. Clones of superior trees are needed for reforestation.