882 PB 276 IN VITRO PROPAGATION AND CHIMERAL TRAITS OF Cryptanthus `Marian Oppenheimer' (WIDE LEAF CLONE)
The leaves of vegetative stolons of greenhouse grown Cryptanthus `Marian Oppenheimer' (wide leaf clone) were cultured in modified MS media to induce adventitious shoot formation via callus formation. The best callus induction medium was basal MS medium with 10 μM NAA, IBA and BA. Pure green (843), maroon (3), striped (2) and albino plantlets were obtained. Most of the albino plantlets were stunted, tightly clumped together and impossible to score. The medium which produced the highest average number of non-albino plantlets was basal MS medium with 0.3 μM NAA, IBA and BA All non-albino plantlets were rooted in MS medium with 5.4 μM NAA and transplanted ex vitro with a survival rate of 96.7%. The maroon plantlets became green two weeks after transplanting. Histological studies revealed that C. `Marian Oppenheimer' (wide leaf clone) has two tunicas (L1 and L2) and a corpus (L3). Callus on the leaf explant arose mainly from the L2 and L3. Apparently C. `Marian Oppenheimer' (wide leaf clone) is a GWG periclinal chimera.