Summary of the final report on the Australian Flora Foundation funded project:

Lomatia tasmanica and Persoonia muelleri propagation and commercial horticulture
Jocelyn Cambecedes and Jayne Balmer
Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Environment and Land Management, Hobart, Australia.  Grant details  Final report

Abstract
A micropropagation method for the rare and endangered Proteacaea Lomatia tasmanica was developed, using micropropagation of the related Lomatia tinctoria as a model. Actively growing shoots of L. tinctoria were collected from the field or from potted plants, disinfected and introduced in tissue culture. A modified woody plant medium plus 1 µM benzylaminopurine and 0.1 µM indolacetic acid appeared to be the most efficient medium for shoot proliferation. Best rooting was obtained by dipping the basal end of shoots in a 1 mM solution of indolbutyric acid. Rooted plants were established in soil. Using the same protocol, a micropropagation method for L. tasmanica was set up from only 8 buds.

Apical and axillary buds of Persoonia muelleri were used to initiate micropropagation but all the explants turned black and died within 6 weeks. On the other hand, with embryo cultures an in vitro plant stock was established from embryos aseptically removed from seeds, and is currently being propagated. Furthermore, plantlets from tissue culture have proved their ability to root.