Final report summary for the Australian Flora Foundation funded project:

Lignotuber formation in Banksia
Professor Margaret Sedgley, University of Adelaide         Grant details  Final report 

A lignotuber is a swollen structure at the base of the stem of lignotuberous species, just below the point of attachment of the cotyledons in young seedlings.  Encased within the lignotuber are various types of buds from which the plant may regenerate after fire or other damage to the plant.  The existence of these axillary or adventitious buds provides a potential source of shoot regeneration for clonal propagation.  This detailed anatomical study has identified the types and positions of the buds in the lignotuber region of Banksia seedlings. 

Further work is needed to determine the fate of these buds as the plant grows and how these buds can be induced to grow out as a clonal propagation method.  (The details of this study are published by Mibus and Sedgley in the journal Annals of Botany 86(3):575-587 (2000)).