Re: Heuchera leaf cuttings question

Interesting set of circumstances.  I'm not even vaguely aware of what a
Heurchera is, but I don't suppose that will stop me from rambling.

African violets can be propagated the same way as you describe.  After
potting them, and after the roots take hold, the leaf generally dies back.
I suspect that its useful life is over and the roots canabalize it for
carbon and energy, etc.  About this time the roots send up from soil level
a number of new leaves and the plant just keeps right on growing.

Another interesting bit is the Psychotria genus.  These are tropical
plants, many from the Amazonian rain forests.  Many species of the genus
(closely allied with the coffee plants, to the point that P.
carthagensis(sp?) is called wild coffee by some) can be propagated by leaf
cuttings.  Simply fold the leaf like an accordian from the stem base
towards the tip, creasing it hard enough to break the central vein.  Then
turn the leaf so that the central vein is parallel to the soil surface, and
an edge is faced straight up and the opposite edge is straight down.  Plant
this broken leaf in this orientation so that the central vein is just
beneath the surface of the soil.  Maintain in a high humidity enviroment.
After a few weeks to a couple months you should see at least two, and by
some accounts as many as a dozen or more, tiny new plants growing from the
broken vein.     

Hope this proves of some help to you.  Please let us know what becomes of
your rooted leaves.

Thanks for flying,
Glider

At 12:40 AM 10/28/1999 -0400, you wrote:
>A few months ago, I cut some Heuchera leaves to scan for an article I did. 
>Stuck them in glasses of water so they would stay fresh for the scanning
>and stuck them back in after scanning.  Life and procrastination being what
>they are, I just left them sitting around my office.  Some died and some
>stayed green.  When I finally got around to clearing up the mess, I was
>rather astonished to find that the live ones had sent forth roots from the
>cut end of the leaf stalk.
>
>These are still in water, doing basically nothing.  Now, I have read that
>it is possible to propagate Heuchera from leaf cuttings, but before I go to
>the trouble of potting these guys up, I'd like to find out if anyone has
>actually done this with success.
>
>I can't see any bud formation or indication of just where new growth might
>form on these...only a single leaf stem, with leaf at one end and roots at
>the other.
>
>Any input will be most appreciated.

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