Upgrading Seed Banking Operations at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is a field station of the University of Texas at Austin and the State Botanic Garden and Arboretum of Texas. The Wildflower Center has been banking seeds of rare and other native plant species since 2001. Management of the largest conservation seed bank in Texas has presented both challenges and opportunities to the new Science and Conservation Team, which we have worked to address over the last two years. First, we conducted an inventory of our holdings and updated record keeping procedures. Second, we made infrastructural improvements by increasing freezer space, developing a plan for a back-up power source, and renovating the seed lab to accommodate multiple users. Third, we have begun a grant-funded project to implement viability testing for past, untested collections as well as incoming material. These changes have better positioned the Wildflower Center to conserve rare plants through seed banking.