In Vitro Flowering of Passiflora suberosa L.1

Leaf, stem, and tendril explants of Passiflora suberosa flowered in vitro on a basal medium containing Murashige and Skoog salts plus 3% sucrose, glycine, and vitamins. The most effective flowering treatment was achieved with stem explants from the shoot apex cultured with 0.1 mg/liter 6-benzylamino purine (BA) in light. Flowering occurred in as few as 21 days. Shoot formation required only a 1-day exposure to BA but flowering required a 3-day exposure. Explants of leaves and stems obtained from below node 5 remained vegetative. Combined culture of basal and apical leaf discs did not alter flowering ability. Leaf discs recultured from in vitro flowering shoots formed only vegetative shoots, suggesting exhaustion of a flower-inducing substance in culture. Explants from juvenile plants formed only vegetative shoots.