The New England Wild Flower Society maintains populations of Pyxidanthera barbulata at its garden in Framingham, Massachusetts. They have also conducted germination trials, finding that fresh seed will germinate without a cold treatment. Germinating dried seed is problematic, and seeds do not remain viable in a seed bank. Plants can be propagated from tissue culture, but growth is slow and mortality is high. Stem cuttings can be rooted, but frequently die.

The New England Wild Flower Society maintains populations of Pyxidanthera barbulata at its garden in Framingham, Massachusetts. They have also conducted germination trials, finding that fresh seed will germinate without a cold treatment. Germinating dried seed is problematic, and seeds do not remain viable in a seed bank. Plants can be propagated from tissue culture, but growth is slow and mortality is high. Stem cuttings can be rooted, but frequently die.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden was able to keep a number of plants alive and on display in the Native Flora Garden, however the plants proved to be short lived. Further experimentation with site selection and soil characteristics is needed so that this species can be successfully cultivated in a garden setting.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden was able to keep a number of plants alive and on display in the Native Flora Garden, however the plants proved to be short lived. Further experimentation with site selection and soil characteristics is needed so that this species can be successfully cultivated in a garden setting. 

This species requires open habitat to survive and is frequently encountered in NJ along the edges of sand roads and hiking trails. As such, it is negatively impacted by recreational activities like off road vehicles, motorcycles, and foot traffic. 

Pyxidanthera barbulata is currently listed as S1 by New York Natural Heritage and is recorded from 1 county in New York State.

In a moderately restricted range along the east coast from Long Island south to New Jersey and from southeast Virginia south to northern South Carolina (Kartesz 1999, Weakley 2000). Pyxidanthera barbulata grows in wet sands and peaty sands in pine barrens, pine savannas, pine flatwoods, pocosin margins, and at the edges of sandhill seepage bogs (Hough 1983, Weakley 2000). It is frequent in New Jersey and North Carolina but rare in the rest of its range.

Conversion of coastal plain habitat for residential and agricultural development Fire suppression, leading to succession by woody vegetation that outcompetes Pyxidanthera barbulata for light

Pyxidanthera barbulata is recorded from 22 counties in North Carolina, 2 counties in South Carolina, and 3 counties in Virginia (USDA 2001). The status and distribution of this species in New Jersey is uncertain, as reflected in the state rank of S; however, it is known from at least two sites in Ocean County, NJ. No estimates for total population numbers are currently available.

Taxonomy and intraspecific variability are treated by Primack and Wyatt (1975) and Kral (1983) Habitat associations are described by Wells and Shunk (1931) and Good and Good (1975), but specific habitat requirements of the taxon have not been determined The New England Wild Flower Society maintains populations of Pyxidanthera barbulata at its garden in Framingham, Massachusetts. They have also conducted germination trials, finding that fresh seed will germinate without a cold treatment. Germinating dried seed is problematic, and seeds do not remain viable in a seed bank. Plants can be propagated from tissue culture, but growth is slow and mortality is high. Stem cuttings can be rooted, but frequently die. The Norcross Sanctuary in Monson, Massachusetts, has Pyxidanthera barbulata in its rare plant collection, as does Eastern Plant Specialties in Georgetown, Maine

The U.S. Army regularly monitors populations Fort Bragg and Camp Mackall in North Carolina (Fort Bragg Endangered Species Branch 2001) The South Carolina Division of Forest Resources has removed scrub oaks in certain longleaf pine stands to restore habitat for Pyxidanthera barbulata, the red-cockaded woodpecker, and the pine-wiregrass ecosystem.

A number of studies would be beneficial to the conservation of this species, including: Studies of the impacts of fire on seed germination, seedling recruitment, and plant competition Research to identify pollinators and determine if pollinator limitation or inbreeding depression may affect populations Studies of the mechanisms of its seed dispersal Research on the responses of Pyxidanthera barbulata to variable hydrological regimes, and its capacity for seed-banking during successive dry years

Studies of seed storage, germination physiology, and plant propagation are needed.