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Plant Profile

Manasota Pawpaw (Asimina manasota)

This narrow endemic is documented from 2 Florida counties. This species has been targeted for ex situ conservation as part of the Florida Rare Plants Initiative. It is an exceptional species that will require methods other than traditional seed banking. Photo Credit: Bruce Holst
  • Global Rank: G1 - Critically Imperiled
  • Legal Status: N/A
  • Family: Annonaceae
  • State: FL
  • Nature Serve ID: 939227
  • Lifeform: Shrub
  • Date Inducted in National Collection: 08/30/2023
Description:

Manasota pawpaw (Asimina manasota) is a very narrow endemic, found almost exclusively in sandhill and scrubby flatwood habitats of Manatee County on the central west coast of Florida. The plants are easily recognizable by their narrow, falcate (sickle-shaped) leaves on often leggy branches. Flowers are found late spring to early summer on new shoots, appearing after the plants leaf out.

Where is Manasota Pawpaw (Asimina manasota) located in the wild?

States & Provinces:

Manasota Pawpaw can be found in Florida

Which CPC Partners conserve Manasota Pawpaw (Asimina manasota)?

  • Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

    Not Sponsored
    Conservation Actions
    Assigned 08/30/23

  • Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

    Not Sponsored
    Assigned 08/30/23
    • CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

    Conservation Actions

    Elizabeth Gandy
    • 06/25/2024
      • Cryo Tissue Culture

    Marie Selby Botanical Gardens continued our partnership with Valerie Pence and the Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden (CREW) into 2024 to test in vitro protocols for propagation and cryopreservation of the narrowly endemic Manasota pawpaw, Asimina manasota. A. manasota is well documented as an exception or non-traditional species for seed banking. Long-term storage requires tissue preservation, not seed storage. Fresh immature stem tissue was collected in April 2024 and the CREW team has successfully established a number of culture lines. They are seeing good success with previously established protocols for other rare Asimina species like A. pulchella and A. tetramera. We hope to grow these plants to the point that tissue can be stored and maybe even grow some plants for possible introduction. There are only about 25 known plants of this species, just over half of which are on protected land.

    Elizabeth Gandy
    • 11/16/2023
      • Cryo Tissue Culture

    Manasota pawpaw (Asimina manasota) is a very narrow endemic, found almost exclusively in sandhill and scrubby flatwood habitats of Manatee County on the central west coast of Florida. The plants are easily recognizable by their narrow, falcate (sickle-shaped) leaves on often leggy branches. Flowers are found late spring to early summer on new shoots, appearing after the plants leaf out.

    The Asimina genus is well accepted as recalcitrant (not able to store seeds), so long-term storage for this species needs to be done using tissue cryopreservation. This process involves the field collection of immature shoot tissue which are then grown into new plants using in vitro culture. Once at the proper stage, the shoot tips are removed, frozen, and stored long-term at ultra-low temperatures. This process takes time and often involves some trial and error as protocols are developed or adapted for new species.

    Selby Gardens has partnered with Valerie Pence and the Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden (CREW) to cryopreserve A. manasota. The staff at CREW have experience developing protocols for this family and have successfully grown three germplasm lines in vitro from A. manasota collections made in 2023. Selby Gardens’ staff plan to collect additional shoot tissue this coming growing season in hopes of continued success in the development and implementation of cryo-protocols at CREW. These protocols not only allow for long-term tissue storage, but for propagation of non-traditional or recalcitrant species.

    Photo credit: Valerie Pence

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    Nomenclature
    Taxon Asimina manasota
    Authority
    Family Annonaceae
    CPC Number 47000
    ITIS
    USDA
    Duration Perennial
    Common Names
    Associated Scientific Names
    Distribution
    State Rank
    State State Rank
    Florida S1
    Ecological Relationships

    Photos

    This narrow endemic is documented from 2 Florida counties. This species has been targeted for ex situ conservation as part of the Florida Rare Plants Initiative. It is an exceptional species that will require methods other than traditional seed banking. Photo Credit: Bruce Holst

    Immature shoots are required for in vitro culture and long-term cryopreservation of this recalcitrant species.

    Photo Credit: Elizabeth Gandy

    Asimina manasota plants growing in vitro at the Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden (CREW).

    Photo Credit: Valerie Pence

    Wild-collected Asimina manasota shoot growing in vitro in tissue culture.

    Photo Credit: Valerie Pence

    Asimina manasota blooming in situ in Florida.

    Photo Credit: Claire Herzog

    Asimina manasota fruiting in situ in Florida.

    Photo Credit: Stan Shebs
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