Reuveni, M., Department of Ornamental Horticulture, ARO Volcani Center, P.O.Box 6, Bet Dagen, Israel
Evenor, D., Department of Ornamental Horticulture, ARO Volcani Center, P.O.Box 6, Bet Dagen, Israel
Ben Jaacov, J., Department of Ornamental Horticulture, ARO Volcani Center, P.O.Box 6, Bet Dagen, Israel

In Israel we are growing Banksia ashbyi (family Proteaceae) as a cultivated plant in flowering orchards. The flowering stems of this plant are sold in local Israeli market and in Europe. B. ashbyi is propagated from seeds, as cuttings cannot be rooted. The irregularity in inflorescence size and variation in plant yield from seedlings has led us to try to propagate the plant by means of tissue culture and thus obtain clonal uniformity. Auxiliary buds of Banksia ashbyi were place on several media differing in their plant growth regulators content and maintained as green globular structures. After about a year of maintenance of this treatment, the green globular structures started to differentiate into shoots. These shoots are now being propagated and will be moved to rooting media and hardening before their horticultural value will be assessed.