XVI International Botanical Congess

Harpagophytum procumbens (the Grapple plant), a member of the Pedaliacea family, is an important medicinal plant in Southern Africa and elsewhere. In Botswana, it has been used for many years in treatment of various ailments hence it is intensively harvested from the wild by rural women and forms an important source of their income. In nature the seeds exhibit a high degree of dormancy resulting in very poor seedling recruitment. This has led into declining populations in the natural habitat, thus it is a threatened species. The aim of this study is to find an alternative method of propagation using tissue culture techniques in order to enhance the regenerative process of the plant. Mature embryo culture and single nodal culture appear to enhance germination and multiplication of the plant respectively. 80% of the cultured embryos developed into transplantable seedlings after three weeks only in culture. Shoot tip cultures using single nodes also developed into healthy plantlets. The transfer and survival rate of seedlings in the field is still being investigated. The results show that tissue culture is a promising alternative method for mass propagation of the Grapple plant which could be used to prevent loss of this important medicinal plant.