In vitro cultures from Narcissus pallidulus and Narcissus cv. Hawera were initiated on MS medium supplemented with different concentrations of BAP and NAA. High multiplication rates were obtained on MS medium supplemented with 6 mg/L BAP and 0.1 mg/L NAA. Callus was induced on MS medium supplemented with 6 mg/L BAP and 2 mg/L NAA. Cultivation of the in vitro cultures on MS medium supplemented with 1 mg/L BAP and 0.1 mg/L NAA or with 1 g/L charcoal resulted in bulb growth. Well-developed bulbs with roots were successfully acclimatized. GC-MS analyses of the alkaloid patterns revealed that Narcissus cv. Hawera biosynthesizes Sceletium-type and Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, while Narcissus pallidulus accumulates only Sceletium-type compounds. The dominant compound in their alkaloid mixtures is mesembrenone which possesses potent antidepressant and antianxiety activities. The easy multiplication of these plants provides excellent possibilities for further studies on mesembrenone biosynthesis and development of technologies for its production, both in vitro and in vivo. (C) 2020 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.