Abstract Our study sought to evaluate the rooting capacity of indole butyric acid (IBA)-treated stem cuttings and the efficiency of the vegetative rescue technique of adult and transitional parent trees of Lecythis pisonis. Softwood, hardwood, and semi-hardwood leafless cuttings treated with IBA (0; 2,000; 4,000; 6,000; and 8,000 mg kg-1) were tested in a randomized block design with four replicates and 10 cuttings per plot. The growth of epicormic shoots was also evaluated in 60-cm branches removed from the tree canopy and kept in greenhouse for 60 days. Cuttings from adult trees did not form roots. Softwood cuttings from transitional trees had a very low rooting percentage. In both cases, no influence of IBA concentrations were observed. The use of the sectioned-branch technique was feasible for inducing sprouts.