Carex wahuensis subsp. wahuensis is an endemic Hawaiian species extensively used as a ground cover in landscaping and restoration. In recent years, a variegated form was identified and is now starting to be utilized in a handful of landscaping projects. While the green wild-type has been primarily propagated through seeds, protocols for single plant divisions are lacking and limits the commercialization and availability of the variegated form. In this study, we investigated the effect of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) application as well as the presence or absence of roots and inflorescences on propagating single plant divisions of variegated C. wahuensis subsp. wahuensis. Container grown clumps were divided into single plantlets, with or without flowers and with or without roots (trimmed 7.6 to 10.2 cm length). For the first experiment, plantlets without flowers but with pre-existing roots were treated with or without 3000 ppm IBA and planted in 1:1 perlite and vermiculite. For the second experiment, plants with roots but with or without flowers, and plants without roots and flowers were also planted in 1:1 perlite and vermiculite. Both experiments were located on a mist bench, which activated every 2 minutes for 12 seconds, and both were allowed to root for up to 135 days. Root length and rooting index was recorded for the first experiment at 45 and 90 days after planting while rooting index was recorded for the second experiment at 45, 90 and 135 days after planting. Application of IBA did not improve root length and rooting index of plantlets. However, there was an observed difference in root length and rooting index between experimental runs. In the second experiment, plants with roots and no flowers exhibited the highest rooting index (3.3 = light rooting) followed by plants with no flowers and no roots (2.9 = alive but no roots to light rooting). Plants with flowers and roots exhibited the lowest rooting index (1.7 = mostly dead). Results of the study indicate that vegetative single plantlets of variegated Carex wahuensis subsp. wahuensis can be successfully rooted within 135 days after planting under mist.
