A cut stem of Lobelia cardinalis,the Cardinal flower. L. cardinalis is a perennial garden plant,native to E. Canada and the Eastern United States of America. It has brilliant scarlet flowers,and many named garden forms exist.The picture shows the base of a cut flowering stem after two weeks' submersion in a vase of water,and illustrates one method of propagating the plant. As hormones from the tip of the stem ( out of picture,top ) flow downwards,they accumulate above the cut surface ( centre bottom) and stimulate the breaking of dormant buds,here on the left and right sides of the stem. As the new shoots grow,in turn they produce auxins,which stimulate growth,first of a formless callus tissue (white) at their base,followed by new roots. The two new shoots here will each form a new plant if detached from the stem and potted into soil |