A protocol for multiplication and restoration of Ceropegia fantastica Sedgw.: a critically endangered plant species

Ceropegia fantastica Sedgw. (Asclepidaceae) is a critically endangered, endemic species in Western Ghats of India. The fruit and seed setting are very low and in vitro propagation is the only viable alternative for its sapling raising and restoration of this plant's population in the wild natural environment through reintroduction. Attempts have been made here for regeneration of this species through in vitro technique using nodal segments as explants and up to 13 multiple shoots were initiated on Murashige and Skoog's (MS) basal medium supplemented with 6-benzyl aminopurine (1.5 mg l−1). Shoots were multiplied by routine periodic subcultures. The shoots of 3–4 cm length were isolated and rooted on MS basal medium (without CaCl2) containing indole-3-buteric acid (1 mg l−1). The rooted plantlets were hardened and successfully established in pots. More than 250 hardened plantlets in two successive years were transferred to their natural habitats of Western Ghats.