2Chapter 1 Direct Shoot Organogenesis from Leaf Explants of Chrysanthemum and African Violets

Since their discovery in the Usambara Mountains of eastern Africa in 1892, African violets (Saintpaulia ionantha Wendl.) have become one of the most commonly cultivated houseplants in the world. Commercially, new cultivars are developed through sports or through traditional plant breeding techniques and are then multiplied via leaf cuttings. More recently, micropropagation is being used to produce a large number of true-to-type plants in a short period of time. African violets are an excellent choice for demonstrating organogenesis techniques because plant material is readily available and micropropagation is straightforward and dependable. In fact, most cultivars of African violets readily produce shoots in vitro.