Oreopanax capitatus Decne & Planch (Araliaceae) is an ornamental tree from Central America and it is well adapted to the Mediterranean climate. In order to establish an efficient and rapid micropropagation method, apical and axillary buds of adult plants, selected from a seedling population for several ornamental characters, have been excised and used for the experiments. Indicative multiplication rates were obtained using both basal and axillary proliferation on MS basal medium supplemented with BA. A wide difference among the sterilisation and the multiplication rates of the 15 genotypes tested was observed. Three different concentrations of BA (0.1 - 0.5 - 1 mg l^-1) were tested using three out of 15 clones, in comparison with a hormone-free medium in order to determine better the cytokinin effect on shoot and callus emergence.
The rooting phase was carried out considering the BA concentration supplied in the previous multiplication medium. The shoots were excised and then transferred onto a rooting medium containing either IAA and NAA. After 30 days, the rooting percentage of the microcuttings coming from 0.5 mg l^-1 of BA reached 74 % and the plants were then transferred in the greenhouse. The plants were acclimatised under mist at 25°C for 30 days and then transferred to a greenhouse with reduced relative humidity (50-60 %).