Upon addition of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (1-NAA) and benzylaminopurine, flower buds developed on explants from flower stalks of Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Samsun cultured in vitro. At low concentrations of 1-NAA, buds emerged mainly at the basal edge, whereas at high concentrations they developed on the remaining surface. The optimum concentrations for the two groups of buds were 0.45 micromolar and 2.2 micromolar, respectively, and the shapes of the concentration versus response curves were similar. The level of benzylaminopurine in the medium affected neither the shape nor the optimum concentration of these curves. The distribution of the buds over the explants was shown to be caused by polar auxin transport, leading to accumulation at the basal side. First, in the presence of the inhibitors 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid and 1-naphthylphthalamic acid, both groups of buds had the same optimum concentration of 1 micromolar 1-NAA. Second, after 6 hours of culture applied 1-NAA had accumulated in the basal part of the explant. In the presence of 1-naphthylphthalamic acid, no transport or accumulation of applied 1-NAA occurred.