Jordan Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Volume 3, No.1, 2007 -16- In vitro Propagation of Two Lavandula Species: Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula latifolia L. Medica Areej A. M. Al-Bakhit, Jamal S. Sawwan * and Mohsen S. Al-Mahmoud ** ABSTRACT A In vitro propagation of Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula latifolia was studied. In vitro Cultures of Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula latifolia were established by germinating seeds of each species on Murashique and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L Naphthaline Acetic Acid (NAA) incubated for three weeks in the dark at 28° C. The best shoot multiplication rates (2.0) and highest proliferation of Lavandula angustifolia were obtained when internodal segments were subcultured on MS medium supplemented with 1.5 mg/L Kinetin and 0.05 mg/L NAA. Shoots were rooted on MS medium supplemented with 0.4 mg/L of NAA or Indole Butyric Acid (IBA). Plants were successfully transferred to soil after two weeks of acclimatization in the greenhouse. Shoot multiplication rates and proliferation of Lavandula latifolia were best when MS medium was supplemented with 0.5 mg/L Benzyl Amino Purine (BAP), 0.05 mg/L NAA or with 1.0, 1.5 or 2.0 mg/L Kinetin and 0.05 mg/L NAA Shoots were rooted on MS supplemented with 0.3 mg/L NAA. KEYWORDS: Lavandula, Micropropagation, (NAA), (BAP), (IBA), TDZ, Kinetin. 1. INTRODUCTION Lavandula is a genus of the Labiatae family. Lavandula consists of about 20 species of small evergreen shrubs, having aromatic foliage and flowers. Lavandula spp. are some of the most popular medicinal herbs with great economic interest (Nobre, 1996). The scent of most, but not all, Lavandulas is somewhat similar, namely: refreshing, herbaceous and sweet, imparting a sense of 'clean'. The medicinal plant preparations play one of the key roles in the modern pharmaceutical industry; but mass, and uncontrollable collection of medicinal plants, may lead to the reduction of their populations. The objective of this study was to develop a protocol for starting in vitro propagation of Lavendula spp. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seeds of Lavandula angustifolia were purchased from Park Seeds; whereas, Lavandula latifolia seeds were purchased from Tisflor. (Park Seed Company 1 Parkton Ave. Greenwood, SC 29647, USA). Seeds of the two species of Lavandula were surface * Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jordan-Amman, Jordan. ** Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology-Irbid, Jordan. E-mail: mohsenal@just.edu.jo Received on 8/8/2005 and Accepted for Publication on 23/1/2007. © 2007 DAR Publishers/University of Jordan. All Rights Reserved.