Sharon T. Kester

Micropropagation of Dictamnus albus L. (Gas Plant)

Gas plant (Dictamnus albus L., family Rutaceae) is an attractive, long-lived herbaceous perennial that has been cultivated for centuries. Written accounts of its medicinal properties appear as early as 1 A.D. in Dioscorides’ Materia Medica and continue in herbals of the seventeenth century. John Gerard documents gas plant growing in his garden in 1597 (Gerard 1597). It is native to Europe and Asia (Everett 1981). Once established, plants continue to flourish for decades, eventually creating a fantastic show of flowering spikes up to 2 ft. tall. Because of the fleshy root system, these plants do not transplant well after they are established. The extensive root system also allows the plant to tolerate dry conditions in the garden. The foliage is a rich green, resembling ash leaves and is attractive even after the flowers fade. The flowers appear in an upright raceme (spike) and are white to purple, often with prominent streaks of red on the petals (Fig. 1). Individual flowers have five petals and prominent anthers. All flower and fruit parts contain glandular trichomes (Fig. 2).