187 Micropropagation of Turkish Endemic Iris stenophylla Hausskn & Siehe Ex Baker Subsp. allisonii B. Mathew A.G. Nasırcılar and S. Mirici Akdeniz University Faculty of Education Antalya Turkey Ö. Eren Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Arts and Science Aydın Turkey Ö. Karagüzel West Mediterranean Agricultural Research Institute Antalya Turkey İ. Baktır Akdeniz University Faculty of Agriculture Antalya Turkey Keywords: Iris stenophylla subsp. allisonii, in vitro propagation Abstract Geophytes are widely used for perfume and in the pharmaceutical industry as well as for ornamental flowers. Two million dollars is earned annually through the export of geophytes in Turkey. Because of their economic importance bulbs are frequently collected from their natural habitats. Their collection from the wild has resulted in some problems for many plant species. Iris stenophylla Hausskn & Siehe ex Baker subsp. allisonii B. Mathew is a critically endangered geophyte. In vitro production is an alternative method for the protection of this plant. In this study immature embryo and bulb scale explants were isolated and cultured on Murashige- Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with various combinations of 6- benzylaminopurin (BA) and α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). The best result were obtained from MS medium supplemented with 1 mg/L BA and 0.25 mg/L NAA. INTRODUCTION Turkey is one of the richest countries in variability and population sizes of fauna and flora (Ekim et al., 2000; Baktır et al., 2001). According to the latest research, there are 688 geophyte species which compose 6% of the flora in Turkey (Uranbey et al., 2006) and many of them are endemic (Baktır et al., 2001). Geophytes which are used as ornamental plants also have important commercial values in medicine, food and in the perfume industries (Ziv and Naor, 2006; Kalyoncu et al., 2006). A number of Turkish geophytes are faced with extinction because they are being dug up and collected from their natural habitat by the flower bulb exporting companies (Baktır et al., 2001). Iris stenophylla Hausskn & Siehe ex Baker subsp. allisonii B. Mathew is a critically endangared geophyte which grows in the Akseki district of Antalya, so it must be conserved. The natural propagation rate of geophyes limits the cultivation of these plants (Uranbey et al., 2006; Kalyoncu et al., 2006). In order to conserve endangered geophytes, alternative propagation systems must be developed. Conventional propagation methods are very slow, but propagation by tissue culture has an important potential to effectively propagate and conserve these endangered plants (Ozel et al., 2006). The aim of this study is to investigate an efficient regeneration system for critically endangered I. stenophylla. MATERIALS AND METHODS Iris stenophylla was collected in the Akseki and Gundogmus districts of Turkey in March. In this study two kinds of plant materials such as fresh bulbs and immature zygotic embryos were used. Bulbs were stored in dark at 5°C for 6 weeks. The roots and the outer scales were peeled and discarded. These bulbs were washed in detergent Proc. X th IS on Flower Bulbs and Herbaceous Perennials Eds.: J.E. van den Ende et al. Acta Hort. 886, ISHS 2011