Ex Situ Conservation Archives - Center for Plant Conservation

Harrisia fragrans on a summer night

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden maintains an ex situ collection of the globally critically imperiled Harrisia fragrans (fragrant prickly-apple cactus) from across its range on Florida’s east coast. The first flowers on our Ft. Pierce population opened after dark last summer in 2022. […]

Harrisia fragrans in flower at the midnight hour

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden maintains an ex situ collection of the globally critically imperiled Harrisia fragrans (fragrant prickly-apple cactus) from across its range on Florida’s east coast. The first flowers on our Ft. Pierce population opened after dark last summer in 2022. […]

Seeds of Florida Brickell-bush (Brickellia mosieri)

These seeds are from plants of Florida Brickell-bush (Brickellia mosieri), a perennial herb in the Asteraceae. It is endemic to Miami-Dade County where it is only found in the globally imperiled pine rockland ecosystem fragments outside of Everglades National Park. It was federally listed as endangered in 2014 with critical habitat designated in 2015. […]

Sachem skipper nectaring on Melanthera parvifolia flowers

Sachem skipper butterfly visiting flowers of pineland blackanthers (Melanthera parvifolia) at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden nursery ex situ conservation living collection. […]

Melanthera parvifolia seeds

Ex situ conservation living collection-generated seeds of pineland blackanthers, Melanthera parvifolia, a South Florida endemic species […]

Seed Banking in Hawai’i through Changes and Challenges | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Posted on September 28, 2021 (October 1, 2021) by Center for Plant Conservation

Several pots of sprawling Na'ena'e plants on nursery benches.

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Collecting and Working with Orchid Seeds

Screenshot of Collecting and Working with Orchid Seeds video.

David Remucal, University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum While many seedbanks avoid working with orchids, more groups are taking them on, or collecting them for groups that are. Collecting rules and protocols are not different for orchids but there are enough complexities in their biology to intimidate collectors new to orchids. Orchid seeds are the smallest in […]

The Potential of Shoot Tip Plant Cryopreservation for the Ex Situ Conservation of Oaks.

Screenshot of The Potential of Shoot Tip Cryopreservation for the Ex Situ Conservation of Oaks video

Dr. Valerie Pence, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Although there are published protocols for initiating shoot cultures for over 20 oak species, the cryopreservation of oak shoot tips has not been reported. We have applied the droplet vitrification protocol to four species of oaks, including the endangered Q. hinckleyi, in order to evaluate the feasibility of […]

Coordinating Collections to Conserve Exceptional Species

Screenshot from Coordinating Collections to Conserve Exceptional Species video.

Amy Byrne, The Morton Arboretum A 2019 study by Griffith, et al. showed that gardens must collaborate to conserve genetic diversity, especially for exceptional species whose seeds cannot be conventionally seed banked. This process of capturing the genetic diversity of exceptional species in ex situ collections requires a tailored strategy for each species, emphasizing the need […]

Raising Peas in Rising Seas: How an increase in soil salinity affects seed germination and seedling survival of the Keys partridge pea (Chamaecrista lineata var. keyensis) a rare Florida Keys endemic

Screenshot from Raising Peas in Rising Seas video.

Sabine Wintergerst, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden The only known remaining populations of the Keys partridge pea (Chamaecrista lineata var. keyensis) are found within the imperiled pine rockland habitat on two islands of the Florida Keys. Like other low-lying islands, the Florida Keys are especially threatened by sea level rise. As a consequence, soil salinity levels will […]

Prioritizing Single Site Endemics for Ex Situ Conservation

Screenshot of Prioritizing Single Site Endemics for Ex Situ Conservation video.

Anne Frances, NatureServe; Amanda Treher, NatureServe; Wesley Knapp, North Carolina Natural Heritage Program Plants that occur in only one to few locations globally are most at-risk of extinction. Research on the extinct plants of North America shows that 64% of extinct plants were known from one site. Single site endemics generally face higher threats than plants […]

Range-wide Ex Situ Seed Conservation and Population Genetic Architecture Analysis in Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)

Video screenshot

Dr. Johnny Randall, North Carolina Botanical Garden The infamous Venus flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, found across North Carolina and into South Carolina, has been seen to be declining in recent years. It is currently under review for federal listing, is ranked G2 on NatureServe, and considered vulnerable by RedList. Threats to this charismatic plant include poaching, […]

Recognizing the Significant Role Ex Situ Conservation Collections Play in Preventing Plant Extinctions

Video screenshot from Wesley M. Knapp, North Carolina Natural Heritage Program

Wesley M. Knapp, North Carolina Natural Heritage Program Preventing extinction is the lowest bar for conservation success we can set and the roll of ex situ conservation efforts in preventing extinction is becoming more significant. Continued work to document the extinct plants of North America north of Mexico has resulted in the discovery that up […]

Conserving Genetic Diversity of Southeastern Oaks and Magnolias in Botanic Gardens: How Much is Needed?

Dr. Sean Hoban, The Morton Arboretum, Taylor Callicrate, Species Conservation Toolkit Initiative, Chicago Zoological Society, Susan Deans, Plant Biology and Conservation Program, Northwestern University, Michael Dosmann, The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Jeremie Fant, Chicago Botanic Garden, Oliver Gailing, University of Göttingen, Kayri Havens, Chicago Botanic Garden, Andrew Hipp, The Morton Arboretum, Priyanka Kadav, Michigan […]

Global Conservation Consortia: Coordinating Collections for Exceptional Species

Screenshot Global Conservation Consortia: Coordinating Collections for Exceptional Species video

Christina Carrero, The Morton Arboretum, Emily Coffey, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Patrick Griffith, Montgomery Botanical Center A 2019 study by Griffith, et al. showed that gardens must collaborate to conserve genetic diversity, especially for exceptional species whose seeds cannot be properly seed banked. This process of capturing the genetic diversity of exceptional species in ex situ […]

Ex-Situ Conservation of Endangered Succulent Plants Using Cryobiotechnology Tools: The Aloe and Agave Cases

Screenshot of Ex-Situ Conservation of Endangered Succulent Plants Using Cryobiotechnology Tools video

Josette Tin, Taylor La Val, Sean Lahmeyer, John Trager, Raquel Folgado*, The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA., United States, *Speaker Succulent plants are significant to the horticultural industry, and they are also sources for food, fibers, medicines, and cosmetics. The main threats for the wild population of these often emblematic […]

Cryobiotechnology for Conservation and Storage of Endangered Exceptional Hawaiian Plant Species

Screenshot of Cryobiotechnology for Conservation and Storage of Endangered Exceptional Hawaiian Plant Species video

Megan Philpott, Valerie PenceL*, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, United States *Speaker Threats to global plant biodiversity compel the need for ex situ collections of species worldwide. However, the subset of species known as exceptional plants are often overlooked. These species produce few or no seeds or produce recalcitrant seeds. The Center for Conservation and […]

Challenges for ex situ collections: partnerships with the zoo community

Screenshot from Challenges for ex situ collections: partnerships with the zoo community video

Jeremie Fant, Chicago Botanic Garden This talk highlights the Chicago Botanic Garden’s work on adapting zoo conservation approaches for exceptional plant species. Challenges in ex situ conservation include genetic issues that arise from limited numbers of individuals and founders, and husbandry and hybridization issues encountered during the growing out of collections. A significant advantage in plant conservation is that seeds can be collected […]

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