Autumn 2003 Plant Conservation Newsletter

8/9/2019 Autumn 2003 Plant Conservation Newsletter

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Recovering Americas Vanishing Flora

Conservation

The Great Sneezeweed Mysterypage 5

Autumn 2003 Volume 16, Number 4

Focus on Partnerships

pages 1, 8, and 9

Recovery from Terrorism, Recovery for Rare PlantsSeattles Center for Urban Horticulture recommits to conservation goals

with a new building and labs more than two years after fire-bomb attackIn mid-May of 2001, things seemed

to be going just peachy for SarahReichard and other Rare Care botanistsat the University of Washingtons Cen-ter for Urban Horticulture in Seattle.Reichard and staff had just celebratedthe news that the Miller Foundationwould fund a new state-of-the-art seedvault at CUH. Years of work with a cap-tive population of Showy stickseed(Hackelia venusta) had finally yieldedtissue culture protocols, and Reichard

had just collected stem tissue specimensfrom the single remaining wild popu-lation of this extremely rare plant.Things were looking up.

And then it happened. At three in themorning, on May 21, 2001, the CentersMerrill Hall was fire-bombed by eco-terrorists claiming to be fighting geneticengineering. Everything went up insmoke the building, labs, materials,data. Years of work. Even those showystickseed specimens burned beyondrecognition. The stem tissue has to becollected before the plants flowered, soafter the fire it was too late, saysReichard. It was just all so devastat-ing.

Two and a half years later, MerrillHall is getting a new lease on life, andReichard and her group are finally get-ting a chance to fully operate their plantconservation programs once again. Ata ground-breaking ceremony on Octo-

Lions and Tigers and Plants!CPC forges partnerships with natural allies: ZoosFocus on Partnerships

Continued on page 10


Of the thousands of school childrenwho know and love the Giant Panda, agood many probably also know a littlebit about bamboo. Maybe they saw a panda in a zoo munching the leafycanes; maybe they learned about themountainous bamboo habitat pandasneed to survive in the wild. And so,learning about an adorable furry crea-ture, kids also learn an important eco-

logical lesson: native plants and habi-tats may not be so cute and cuddly, butheyre important, too.

The potential for public outreach inthe link between plant and animal con-servation is inspiring a new wave ofpartnerships between CPC and zoologi-cal organizations around the country. InOctober, CPC President KathrynKennedy spoke to the American Zoo-

ber 1, universitydeans and private do-nors shoveled dirt tocommemorate thestart of work on whatwill be the newMerrill Hall, provid-ing dedicated lab andoffice space onceagain, and utilizingsustainable buildingtechniques to con-

serve energy, waterand materials.

Im really ex-cited about this,says Reichard. When the first anniver-sary came around, our nerves were onedge, and we had an event reconfirm-

ing our values. I thought it was goingto be painful, but I felt renewed; the

An artists rendition of the planned rebuilding of Merrill Hall.


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Plant Conservation, Autumn 2003 2

Board of Trustees

C.W. Eliot Paine, Chairman

Kathryn L. Kennedy, Ph.D.,President and Executive

Director

Polly Pierce, Vice-PresidentEmmy White Seymour,

SecretaryHooker Talcott, Jr., Treasurer

Jack Baker

Robert Breunig, Ph.D.

Patricia R. BushAnn Coburn

Paul Alan Cox, Ph.D.

Richard H. DaleyJulia Bissell Leisenring

Richard Lighty, Ph.D.Jonathan LoringAndrew S. Love, Jr.

John McPheetersCarolyn OMalley

Janet Meakin Poor

Edward Schneider, Ph.D.Jocelyn Sladen

Mary Ann Streeter

William A. Truslow, Esq.Peter S. White, Ph.D.

Peter Wyse Jackson, Ph.D.

Peter Ashton, Ph.D., TrusteeEmeritus

Participating Institutions

Amy B.H. GreenwellEthnobotanical Garden

The Arboretum at Flagstaff

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

The Arnold Arboretum of

Harvard UniversityThe Berry Botanic Garden

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Center for Urban HorticultureChicago Botanic Garden

Denver Botanic GardensDesert Botanical GardenFairchild Tropical Garden

Harold L. Lyon Arboretum

Historic Bok SanctuaryThe Holden Arboretum

Honolulu Botanical Gardens

Lady Bird Johnson WildflowerCenter

Mercer Arboretum and BotanicGardens

Missouri Botanical Garden

The Morton ArboretumNational Tropical Botanical

Garden

New England Wild FlowerSociety

The New York Botanical Garden

The North Carolina ArboretumNorth Carolina Botanical Garden

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic

GardenRed Butte Garden and

Arboretum

Regional Parks Botanic GardenSan Antonio Botanical Garden

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

University of California

Botanical Garden

Waimea Valley Audubon CenterSt. George Village Botanic

Garden, Affiliate InstitutionScience Advisory Council

Barbara A. Schaal, Ph.D., Chair

Marie BruegmannJohn Fay, Ph.D.Gary Knight

Richard Koske, Ph.D.

Eric Menges, Ph.D.Clifford Morden, Ph.D.

Larry Morse, Ph.D.

Peggy OlwellBruce Pavlik, Ph.D.

Valerie Pence, Ph.D.Jackie PooleGeorge Proctor, Ph.D.

James ShevockVincent Tepedino, Ph.D.

Warren Wagner, Ph.D.

Christina Walters, Ph.D.

George Yatskievych, Ph.D.National Office Staff

Kathryn L. Kennedy, Ph.D.,President and Executive Director

Maria Bradford,Development

ManagerElizabeth Garcia-Dominguez,

Communications Coordinator

Megan Cotter, ConservationPrograms Technician

Donna Key, Administrative

Assistant

Volunteers

Lois Batchelder, Marie Bergmann,Lori Calcaterra, Nancy Fetter,Benjamin Kennedy, DavidKennedy, Dorothalyn Key, DavidLehleitner, Sylvia Rolloff, MarySerbi, Sue Slivka, Kathy White

The Center for Plant Conser-vation is a national not-for-profitorganization hosted by the Mis-

souri Botanical Garden in St. Louisand governed by an independentboard of trustees.

A network of more than 30 bo-tanical gardens and arboreta, theCenters mission is to conserve andrestore the rare native plants of theUnited States.

Directors Letter:

Telephone: (314) 577-9450E-mail: [email protected]

Website:www.centerforplantconservation.org

Plant Conservation is published quar-

terly. If youd like to submit articles, pictures,

or announcements, please contact CPC at

(314) 577-9450 or [email protected]. Or mail

items to CPC, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO

63166.This newsletter is printed on recycled

paper with soy ink.

Kathryn Kennedy

As Director ofthe Center forPlant Conserva-tion, I think aboutthe values thatdrive public ser-vice, and the ele-ments of success-

ful programs.Over the years atCPC we have come to value severalcore elements that are essential to oursuccess in restoring vulnerable species.

One element is good science. With-out inquiry and record keeping we can-not understand, interpret, and restorenature. Without good science we mayunwittingly do harm instead of good.Good information supports success.

Good communication is also a coreelement. Knowledge that is not sharedis of little value. We recognize the needto keep ourselves and others in the sci-entific and citizen community informed.With good communication we can in-form, inspire, advise and advocate.

Another element is partnerships.

Clearly the job of restoring our vulner-able plant species is a big one, and whileachievable, no entity in America todaycan achieve it on its own.

CPC as a network has many agencypartners in projects large and small. Wehave agreements with the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, the Bureau of LandManagement, the U.S. Dept. of Agricul-

ture (Agricultural Research Service), andthe U.S. Forest Service. Just last monthwe signed our newest agreement with theNational Park Service. The power of these partnerships is remarkable. Working inpartnership we can plan more strategi-cally, and implement more efficiently. Weextend precious conservation dollars bysupplementing staff efforts and avoidingduplication of effort. Together, we aremore effective.

We have worked to extend the powerof partnerships to education, communi-cation and advocacy as well. We haveproductive joint ventures with other or-ganizations such as the American Hor-ticultural Society, Plant ConservationAlliance, Garden Club of America, andNative Plant Societies. We recently

signed a Memorandum of Understand-ing with the American Association ofBotanical Gardens and Arboreta,Botanic Gardens Conservation Interna-tional, and the Canadian BotanicalConservation Network, to work coop-eratively on communication and edu-cation projects. This Fall, we had op- portunities to reach out to zoos and

other plant-user groups to explore howwe can work together.

In a very real sense, everythingCPCdoes is accomplished with partner-ships. The network itself is a partner-ship with institutions sharing our ob-jectives and standards. Our donors arepartners in our work, giving us stabil-ity and capacity to get real work done.

Our partnerships have never beenstronger, or more promising. Thanks toeach of you who are a part of our work.CPC looks forward to more partner-ships and projects that help us grow,and make us even more effective forplant conservation.


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3 www.centerforplantconservation.or

Along the Road to Recovery

Along the Road to Recovery is a CPC

series highlighting the steps to recovery

for imperiled plant species. For an

overview of the road to recovery, see the

Winter 2003 issue of Plant Conservation,

available on the CPC Web site at

www.centerforplantconservation.org.

Seed Banking: A Good Investment

Do you ever wonder why your chil-dren look so much like you? Or won-der why you look more and more likeyour parents every year? You probably

know that our families resemble eachother because we have the same geneticinformation in our DNA, and this in-formation has been passed from parentto child for many generations. Muchlike the children humans create, plantspass on their genetic information intheir seeds. The seeds of endangeredand imperiled plants are so valuablebecause there are no other plants in theworld with that same genetic makeup,and we are at risk of loosing these ge-netic resources forever. But preserving

the genetic diversity of some speciescan be quite difficult.

When researchers and conservation-ists preserve a plant, one of their goalsis to preserve genetic variety.

By preserving the genes of theseplants, we preserve the possibility foradaptations in the future, explains Dr.Christina Walters, a plant physiologistat the USDA National Center for Ge-netic Resources Preservation and amember of the CPC Science AdvisoryCouncil.

After collecting the seeds, they mustbe stored for future use: planting or re-search. Since seeds begin to grow whenit is warm and wet, scientists store seedsin places that are cold and dry. This iscalled freezing and desiccation of theseeds and is done in a seed bank. Manyseeds naturally acquire the ability tosurvive drying and freezing, becausethis is what they must do to survive thewinter. These types of seeds are easilyput into storage by optimizing the hu-

midity and then lowering the tempera-ture. When cool and dry, seeds stopmetabolizing and enter into a state ofsuspended animation. But not all seedssurvive the drying and freezing treat-ments, and care must be taken so thatthey are not harmed during banking.

When researchers attempt to store aseed, they examine what is knownabout the growth habits of the plant, itshabitat and geographical distribution,

and then classify the seeds by storageneeds. Seeds are generally classifiedinto two categories: orthodox (the ma-jority of seeds) and recalcitrant; thosethat can survive the drying and those

that cannot.The first step is to collect them and

make sure they are mature, saysWalters. Then you make sure you cangerminate them. If you can, you knowyou have viable seed. This seems likean easy step, but it is actually quite hardto get some seeds with deep dormancyto germinate. If the seeds are dried onthe plant, you have a good idea it is or-thodox. If you can dry it down and getit to germinate, it is also probably or-thodox. The rest is fine-tuning.

Orthodox seeds can be stored at ex-tremely cold temperatures and low hu-midity for long periods of time. Theseseeds are the easiest to place in liquid ni-trogen storage, where temperatures arebetween 120C to 150C in the vaporabove the liquid nitrogen, and at 196Cif seeds are immersed in the liquid.

Recalcitrant seeds, however, requirea unique balance of temperature andhumidity for storage. They cannot tol-erate dehydration or traditional storagemethods. Most tropical rainforest plantsfit into this category, as they do notexperience cold, dry dormant periodsin their natural habitat. Additional re-search must be completed on theseseeds to determine their optimum stor-age conditions.

Base or Active?Depending on the uses or needs for

the seed, seed banks can be classifiedas base collections or active collections.Base collections usually store seed for

the long-term, and seeds are used asvoucher specimens, for backup or forneeds in the distant future. These seedsare left undisturbed except for periodicviability tests. If seed viability reachesa dangerously low level, regenerationor recollection may need to be imple-mented.

Even when stored under the bestconditions possible, seeds will dieslowly over decades, says Walters.

We dont really know why these seedsage with time, but we test the seeds toinsure the genetic integrity of theseplants.

The Center for Plant Conservationhas a partnership program with the Na-tional Center for Genetic ResourcesPreservation (NCGRP) to store basecollections of endangered and imperiledplants in their facility.

Active seed collections, on the otherhand, also known as working collec-tions, are stored in-house at CPC par-ticipating institutions. They are storedin medium-to-long-term conditions andcan be sampled more frequently for re-search, plantings, and recovery efforts

Factors in how the seeds were col-lected affect how easy it is to store themIf the seeds are collected too early, theymay not be mature or able to withstanddesiccation. If they are collected toolate, there is a risk of infection within

the seed, or even germination. An ex-ample of this isPritchardia, a group of


By Megan Cotter, CPC intern

Christina Walters prepares seed for

cryostorage at the USDA seed bank.


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Meet the Network:

David Orr, Waimea Valley Audubon Center

David Orr points out the hidden petals on Hidden-

petaled Abutilon (Abutilon eremitopetalum), one of therare Hawaiian plants he cares for at Waimea Valley

Audubon Center.

photobyKellyPerry

Last summer CPC heralded the open-ing of the Waimea Valley Audubon Cen-ter, which signaled a change in man-agement at this Oahu botanical institu-tion and re-established the conservation

goals of a priceless collection of nativeHawaiian flora. Previous managementhad focused on converting the stunningnatural resources of the valley into anentertainment-focused tourist attraction,which was often not compatible withprotecting both the unique site and theextensive collection it housed. Conser-vationists were thrilled that a longstruggle to re-direct focus on Waimeasoriginal mission, passive recreation andbotanical study and education, had fi-nally paid off.

But perhaps no one was as gratefulas David Orr, longtime botanical cura-tor at Waimea. For Orr, preserving theimperiled plants housed at Waimea hasbeen a labor of love for many years, andhe brought vital determination, energy,and passion to the fight to saveWaimeas conservation program. Orrshard work was joined by the efforts ofconservationists and volunteers, and hiscommitment has been an inspiration formany.

Recipient of this years CPC Star

Award for his dedication to the plantsof Waimea, Orr has a fascinating back-ground. We thought wed give you apeak at the long and twisty road hestaken to Waimea Valley Audubon Cen-ter:

How did you get your start in con-servation botany?

My Dad taught me early about veg-etable gardening, and Ive never mindedgetting my hands dirty. But I was neverreally aware of the biodiversity crisisuntil my mid-thirties. I dont have anyformal botanical training. I spent manyyears traveling the tropics, first as anexchange student in southern India, thena year backpacking in South America,as well as travels through Africa andChina.

In the mid-80s I was teaching at aMontessori school in Honolulu andstarted attending courses at Lyon Arbo-retum. There were some great staffers

there who took me undertheir wing.

Then in 1987 theschool lost its lease, so Idecided to return to

Southeast Asia. Before Ileft, Lyon and Waimeagave me $100 each and aletter of introduction andsaid, Send back any gin-gers you find. That wasbefore 1992 Rio conven-tion restricting interna-tional plant exchange, soI was just going around,with permission, diggingup gingers in the forestsand private collections,

and sending them back toHawaii to be lodged, atfirst, in Waimeas quaran-tine house. I didnt find anything re-markable, but I did visit lots of botanicgardens.

When I came back, I spent sixmonths sleeping on friends coucheswhile I mapped the collections atWaimea in the hopes I would get a jobhere. I started as a research assistant inAugust 1989, and then in 1992 I waselevated to superintendent of collec-

tions. In 1993, I took an eight-weekcourse in botanic garden managementat Kew Gardens. Most of what Ivelearned has been on the job, especiallyfrom former director Keith Woolliams.Ive had a lot of hands-on experienceplanting, mapping and label-making.

What happened to shift the focusaway from conservation at Waimea?

In 1996 the management changedwith a new owner. After two years, thepropagation and botanical records staffwere taken off salary. The Waimea Ar-boretum Foundation had been in exist-ence since 1977 and they helped sup-port us; plus we got two grants fromthe city. We were really on a shoestring,maintaining the plants on our own. Itwas an incredibly tense situation. Dur-ing that lean period, the annual checksfrom CPC, for the nine sponsored taxawe maintain in the national collection,were very welcome.

What motivated your commitmentthrough these tough times?

I started here when Waimea was atits prime: the perfect mix of botany andhorticulture. The plant records were,and still are, excellent, and the gardenswere immaculately maintained. Therewas a wonderful esprit des corps amongthe employees, a feeling that we wereall serving a higher mission that ben-

efited the future. So I had a memory ofhow good this place could be. I knewhow special this sacred valley was andthat we were sitting on a very well-documented plant collection of greatvalue to the future. And we had an ob-ligation to all the people who had givenus plants over the years, expecting themto be preserved for future research.

Now that Audubon has taken overmanagement, what changes do yousee?

Its been a wonderful transition. Thevalley is peaceful and quiet with birdsongs and flowing water replacing theloudspeakers and chugging trams. Plus,were getting so much positive feed-back from volunteers and visitors. Wethought maybe the tour buses wouldstop coming, but the wonderful thingis that the drivers are happy to walktheir passengers through the gardens,



5/16


The Great Sneezeweed Mystery

Virginia sneezeweed (Helenium virginicum)

Virginia sneezeweed thrives when nearly

submerged in water for parts of the year.


It was a dark and stormy night. Asthe rain beat down and the lightningflashed on Missouris Ozark mountains,a shadowy form emerged from the dark-ness: elusive intriguing unex-

pected its a Virginia sneezeweedplant, long thought endemic to the stateof Virginia! Looks like another case forCPC detectives otherwise known asconservation botanists.

Perhaps thats a slight exaggeration.But plant conservation often does re-quire quite a bit of detective workand the case of Virginia sneezeweed(Helenium virginicum) is no exception.

This rare plant, called sneezeweedby early settlers who used the plant assnuff by grinding up the yellow flow-

ers, was thought to exist primarily inVirginia, growing along the edges ofshallow limestone sinkhole ponds.These ponds are usually flooded halfof the year, from January to July, andare filled with poorly drained, low-nu-trient acidic soil.

The Virginia sneezeweed is uniquelyadapted to live in this flood-prone en-vironment: Plants can survive for longperiods completely submerged under-water, and seeds remain stored in thesoil during high-water years. Popula-

tion levels then spring back when thewater levels retreat.

Field workers in Virginia have iden-tified only about 25 populations of thesneezeweed, and loss of habitat is a ma-jor threat to the species as a whole. Vir-ginia sneezeweed depends on the flood

cycle of its habitat, and on the low-nu-trient conditions that give it a competi-tive edge over other plants. Land uses

like grazing, agriculture, industry, ordevelopment can hurt these plants bycausing erosion, siltation, run-off oftoxics or nutrients, permanent flooding,or draining. Little was known about theplant, and there were few resources toaddress the problem.

Nobody expected to find Virginiasneezeweed in Missouri, but after care-ful investigation, researchers identifiedan unusual spiky-leaved plant sprout-ing at the edge of an Ozarks limestonepool as belonging to the rare species.

CPC botanist Kim McCue at the Mis-souri Botanical Garden was called into collect seed from these Missouriplants. McCue planned to build a seedbank and enter the species in the CPC National Collection, thus preservingour options for restoration.

Seed banks like this serve as insur-ance against un-foretold crises in thewild population, and in fact, the firstyear that McCue planned to collectseeds, she saw just why seed bankingis so vital: the plants failed to set seedthat year. Luckily, the following grow-ing season saw better results, and seedswere collected for both a permanentseed bank and for use in propagatingplants in the greenhouse.

Although the private land-ownerhad opened his property to researcherscollecting seed, this federally listedspecies can not be considered safe un-til a wild population has been estab-

lished on land which offers long-termprotection and addresses or removes theconditions that threaten the plant, likedrainage alterations, industrial pollu-tion, or urban development.

Last April, half of those greenhouse-propagated plants were planted on landowned by the Missouri Department ofConservation. The other half wereplanted this fall. Nobody knows theoptimum planting time, so we werehedging our bets, explains McCue.

As it turns out, April planting seemsto suit the sneezeweed just fine. So fartheyve done remarkably well, reportsMcCue. We saw very low mortalitywith the April plants. Theyre big, ro-bust, and stunning, with tons of flow-

ers.

Stalking the SneezeweedBut meanwhile, the big mystery re-

mained: what was a Virginia endemicdoing in Missouri? Was this an isolatedchance occurrence, perhaps a transplantthat had hitchhiked on an animal or human? Or was it a remnant of a muchlarger population that had disappeared?

Its not that uncommon to discover populations of a plant where no onthought there were any, McCue ex-

plains. For a species that has not beenthoroughly studied, it may be the casethat simply no one had ever looked be-fore.

In the case of Virginia sneezeweedthis was especially true because theplant, with its yellow composite flow-ers, can easily be mistaken for any ofthe many other yellow composites. Butwhen the state conservation departmentwent out looking, the results were stunning: at least twenty-nine previouslyunknown populations of Virginiasneezeweed have been located in Mis-souri. Based on this research, the Fishand Wildlife Service has proposeddownlisting the status of this rare plantfrom endangered to threatened. Land-owner cooperation has helped make thisresearch a real success story.

This is very exciting for a numberof reasons, says McCue. Given the

photobyKimMcCue


6/16


The Hidden Value of Americas Vanishing FloraCPC plants may yield food and medicinal benefits

What is the value of Americas na-tive flora? Here at CPC, we could talkyour ears off about the role native plantsplay in maintaining balanced ecosys-tems for clean water, healthy air, andwildlife populations. Or we could liftyour spirits with gorgeous photos ofnative wildflowers, proving that our im-periled flora brings a wealth of beautyto our lives. But in this Thanksgivingseason, as we remember early settlersand Native Americans, lets considerthe value of these natural resources asfood and medicine.

It was native plants, and the agricul-tural knowledge and assistance of Na-tive Americans, which made the first

Thanksgiving possible. The pilgrimsmay not have enjoyed a hearty pie orfilling stew cooked with any plants nowendangered, but many endangeredplants have a wealth of food and me-dicinal value that is part of our nationsnatural bounty even to this day.

Over 50 percent of species in CPCs National Collection of EndangeredSpecies are related to species that arecultivated for commercial use, accord-ing to a CPC report published in 1998by Oliver Phillips and Brien Meilleur.

Plus, of the nearly 3,000 U.S. plants ofconservation concern, two-thirds arerelated to (found within the same gen-era as) economically important species.In fact, the yearly U.S. wholesale farmvalue of food crops related to rare plants

was found to be $9 billion in 98.Having a wild-growing native rela-

tive can be a boon for a crop species.Agricultural plants are vulnerable todisease and insect attacks that wildplants may have developed adaptationsto fight off. Using traditional plantbreeding techniques, botanists can crosswild natives with developed crop spe-cies to grow a stronger, more resilientstrain. As Phillips and Meilleur wrote,Since many crops require periodicgenetic infusions from close relativesto combat threats from climatic changeand disease, or to supply features like

improved nutritional value, we con-clude that the threats to the rare wildplants of the U.S. also constitute threatsto the future of many contemporarycrops.

Within the national collection, thir-teen plants have specific food-relatedproperties. One such species is Pricesground nut (Apios priceana), whichCPC botanist Kim McCue of the Mis-souri Botanical Garden has been work-ing to restore. Prices ground-nut hasa potato-like tuber, she says. Native

Americans may have used it as a plantsource, and a more common relatedspecies is being looked at as a crop spe-cies. If you develop one species as acrop species and then it gets a disease,if youve maintained the wild relatedspecies, that wild species may be har-boring a genetic resource. Thats hap-pened with maize, and many of our cropspecies are very vulnerable.

Another plant that is being studiedfor its potential value in strengthening

food production is Texas wild-rice(Zizania texana). Wild rice, the onlycereal grain native to this country, mayhave been used as sustenance by na-tive cultures living near the San MarcosRiver, where Texas wild rice once grewfrom bank to bank. We know for surethat this imperiled native is closely re-lated to northern wild rice (Z. palustris),which is harvested for food. And whatsmore, new research shows that whiterice, a hugely important source of foodaround the globe, shares many traits

with its wild cousins.At Historic Bok Sanctuary, conser-

vation biologist Cheryl Peterson workswith a number of imperiled plants thatcould have some tasty and healthy ben-efits. The Okeechobee gourd(Cucurbita okeechobeensis) remains inonly two locations in Florida, and eventhere this wetlands plant suffers fromalterations to the hydrologic cycle. TheBok Sanctuary maintains seeds fromthis at-risk plant in the CPC nationalcollection, and if healthy populations

are restored in the wild, it could helpscientists in their quest for hardier cu-cumbers or squash. Thats because theOkeechobee gourd, while not edible it-self, is resistant to many of the diseasesthat affect these economically impor-tant crops.

Peterson also works with severalrare, dwindling species of paw-paw, a

Cheryl Peterson of

Historic Bok

Sanctuary tends to

Okeechobee gourd

(Cucurbita

okeechobeensis)

plants. Now found

in the wild in only

two locations in

Florida, this

wetlands plants

could hold genetic

secrets to grow

better cucumbers.


Etonia rosemary (Conradina etonia), a

member of the mint family, may have

been used by Native Americans.

photocourtesyoftheConservationProgramofHistoricBokSanctuary

photocourtesyoftheConservationProgramofHistoricBokSanctuary


7/16


CPC Welcomes New Staff

CPC Board Chairman Eliot Painewelcomed attendees to the CPC annualmeeting on Thursday, October 16 inCleveland, Ohio. As the former direc-tor of The Holden Arboretum, Painenoted it gave him special pleasure tohost colleagues once again in Cleve-land, nine years after CPC last metthere. This gives us the opportunity toshow what weve done and to learnfrom you how we can continue to im-prove, he said.

Kathryn Kennedy, CPC ExecutiveDirector, thanked the meetings Cleve-land hosts, the board of directors, thenetwork participants, and the Bureauof Land Management, a federal part-ner which sent a representative to themeeting. She reflected on the low turn-out, an indication of tight budgetsaround the network. However,

Join the CPC national office in wel-coming two valuable colleagues to ourteam.

Maria Bradford is CPCs new devel-opment manager. A certified fund-rais-ing executive, Maria had previously

served as the managing director of theSt. Louis Black Repertory Company, public information specialist of theMissouri Arts Council, resource devel-opment director of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Boys and Girls Club, and direc-tor of Public Relations of Grand Cen-ter, Inc.

Maria also brings a long-standingconservation ethic. As a teenager, sheworked for several years at the St. LouisZoo, where she says she gained a deepappreciated for the natural world. The

idea of working for a conservation or-ganization is very attractive to me be-cause, especially as a parent, I see moreand more the importance of preservingour natural resources for the future,Maria says.

Maria has already forged ahead toimprove CPCs development program,and she reports shes enjoying everyminute of it. I look at the mission ofCPC, and I realize, I cant grow those plants or go out and collect those

seeds, she explains, But I can go outand look for funding to support thesewonderful programs. Fundraising issimply a matter of communicating themission and the passion you feel. CPC

really sells itself its so clearly im-portant.

Also joining the staff is Megan Cot-ter, CPCs new national office intern.Megan graduated last Spring with a BSin Biology from Truman State Univer-sity, and is now pursuing a non-thesis MSin Biology at St. Louis University, witha concentration in conservation botany.Her goal is to develop a career in conser-vation outreach and education.

Plants are often overlooked in con-

The Garden Club of America and theCenter for Plant Conservation are seek-ing applicants for the 2004 CatherineH. Beattie Fellowship for ConservationHorticulture. Each year, the grant en-ables a graduate student in biology, horticulture, or a related field to conduct

research on a rare or endangered U.Splant.Preference is given to students fo-

cusing on the endangered flora of theCarolinas or the southeastern UnitedStates. Fellowships may vary from$1,000 to $4,000, and will serve as compensation for work done by a graduatestudent, often at a botanical gardenjointly serving CPC and that studentscurricular studies.

Completed applications must be re-ceived by CPC no later than December

31, 2003. More information can befound on CPCs website at http://www.centerforplantconservation.orgbeattie.html

Beattie Fellowship Open

servation efforts, she says, But I havealways had a passion for plants. Somepeople think theyre really boring, butheyre not. In fact, theyre fascinating.

Megan is working hard to help coor-dinate many of CPCs data-collection andpartnership programs.

Kennedy noted, as the first ever CPCannual report shows, the network ismaking significant progress on conser-vation, and the strength of networkpartnerships is growing.

Kayri Havens of the Chicago BotanicGarden presented the meetings skill-building workshop on pollination biol-ogy, and the Holden education depart-ment hosted a workshop on conservationeducation. A panel discussion offeredsuggestions for managing natural areas,and conservation officers discussed up-coming projects including recovery onpublic lands partnerships.

A highlight of the meeting was theawards dinner, during which the CPCStar Award for 2003 was presented toDavid Orr of Waimea Valley AudubonCenter. The Board of Trustees passed aresolution commending Orr for a de-

cade of commitment to preserving thepriceless collections of imperiled nativeflora at Waimea valleyDue to his unswerving loyalty to these plants and aconservation vision for this unique sitehe has provided a beacon of hope thahas proved vital to the long-term survival of this conservation resource.

CPC Annual Meeting, Small but Active, Builds on Partnerships

Megan Cotter, CPC Intern, and Maria

Bradford, CPC Development Manager

Joan Seveers (left) of the BLM with Kayri

Havens of Chicago Botanic Garden at theCPC 2003 annual meeting.


8/16


network n

The Pacific Northwest offers a num-ber of unique climate systems and habi-tats that many rare plants, adapted tothese often-harsh conditions, call home.But growing suburban developmentand intensive agriculture often threat-ens these fragile places. At the BerryBotanic Garden, CPC botanists areworking in partnership with publicagencies to conserve several of thesepriceless resources.

The garden holds an annual contractwith the U.S. Forest Service to collectseeds from rare plants on Forest Ser-vice land. Last summer, botanists fo-cused on the Siskiyou and Umpqua National Forests, home ofMacDonalds rock cress (Arabismacdonaldiana), one of the first plantsto be listed as Endangered under thehistoric Endangered Species Act of1978. MacDonalds rock cress is oneof several CPC National Collectionplants that botanists worked with this

summer.The Forest Service wants to safe-

guard as many of their rare species asthey can, explains Berry conservationbiologist Andrea Raven. Seed-bank-

ing provides an insurance policy ofsorts, so that if there is any accident tothe plants in the wild, we have the ge-netic resources for restoration. The For-est Service wants special attention fortheir rare plants, so we work in collabo-ration.

Planning and conducting seed col-lection for this annual work often in-volves many partners. Our work isdone in conjunction with whomeverelse is working on that plant, explains

Raven. With theArabis, for example,our team of seed collectors includedForest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlifeand Berry Garden botanists. Forest Ser-vice and Fish and Wildlife botanists willcontinue to monitor these plants.

Seed collection was completed dur-ing the summer months, when 120-de-gree weather made the work particu-larly challenging. The seeds are then prepared for frozen storage back atBerry, and also tested for germinationrates in laboratory germination cham-

bers. The exquisite Umpqua mariposalily (Calochortus umpquaensis) and theWay-side aster (Eucephalus vialis; for-merly Aster vialis), two other CPCplants, were also collected as part of thisresearch project.

In another federal agency partner-ship, Berry Conservation Director EdGuerrant is working with another imperiled plant, Koehlers rock cress(Arabis koehleri var. koehleri), a tough,tiny shrub, which grows only in thenooks and crannies of craggy rock facesoverlooking the Umpqua River. Roads,quarries, agriculture and grazing prac-tices have all diminished the naturalhabitat of these tufted plants, and so theBureau of Land Management askedGuerrant and his colleagues to augmentan existing population on BLM land.

The basic questions is, Is it betterto use seeds or plants? Guerrant says.Seeds were collected from the wild

population and used to propagate seed-lings in the greenhouse. Garden staffand interns then outplanted seeds andsmall plants at the wild population andBerry Gardens rock garden. The suc-cess of seeds and plants planted directlyin the wild is being compared to thesuccess of garden-grown plants.

At the same time researchers are col-lecting a wealth of other data. We arelooking at a lot of habitat variables basically, asking plants where they

want to live. Since this population oc-curs on a rocky hillside, we measuredhow steep the slope was, what compassdirection the plants are facing, and howhigh they are on the hill. Are they morelikely to get grazed where deer couldreach? We note other substrate vari-ables, such as whether the plant isgrowing in cracks and whether soil ormoss is present . These measurementswill help botanists determine the bestprotocols for planning a full restoration.

Grading GrazingAnother project at Berry is just fin-

ishing and the resulting research willbe used by decision-makers facing animmediate conservation challenge. Pale blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchiumsarmentosum) is a beautiful, delicatemember of the iris family and not re-ally a grass at all. It grows in open, wet

Focus on Partnerships

Working Together to Save Rare

Natives of the Pacific Northwest

Pale blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium

sarmentosum)

Effect of grazing on Pale blue-eyed grass

(Sisyrinchium sarmentosum).

photobyLindaMcMahan

photobyLindaMcMahan



9/16


ws & notes

By doing conservation planning forone species, were in fact planning forall plants in a number of habitats, saysElizabeth Farnsworth, senior researchecologist at the New England WildFlower Society. Shes talking about theNEWFS Conservation and ResearchPlan project, an ambitious undertakingto publish 110 plans for the conserva-tion of rare native flora throughout NewEngland. Eighty of these plans havenow been written, and the results couldspell good news for a number of vul-nerable CPC flora and for wild places

in general.In the case of New EnglandBoneset ( Eupatorium leucolepis var.novae-angliae), a coastal plain pondsplant, were doing planning for indi-vidual occurrences of the plant, but atthe same time the plans point out theneed for management of this special-ized type of habitat. There needs to beintegrated habitat management in areaslike these; an increasing population ofpeople in coastal areas demands moreland and water; as a result water draw-

down profiles are changing in theponds, affecting plant species compo-sition.

By doing conservation planning forthat one species, youre in fact plan-ning for many coastal plain pond spe-cies. In a way, the New EnglandBoneset becomes emblematic for manyspecies on the coastal plain ponds. Theyall need the same T.L.C.

The conservation plans are beingwritten by botanists across the NewEngland region, coordinated byNEWFS, and reviewed by scientificcommittees that include botanists fromNatural Heritage programs, academicscientists, and botanical consultants inall states involved. This high level ofinvolvement engenders a collaborativeapproach that can greatly multiply ef-forts to save dwindling plants.

Because these experts are integralto the review of these conservation

plans, theyre all readingthe plans, using them,and talking to eachother, Farnsworth ex-plains. When it comesto a species thats foundin multiple states, nowwe can have more col-laboration, and when re-search is being done, wecan disseminate that toall the states and to theconservation and scien-tific community as awhole.

One such species isLongs bulrush (Scirpus

A Collaborative Approach to Conservation Planning in New EnglandFocus on Partnerships

Christopher Mattrick, plan author forRotala ramosior

leads enthusiastic volunteers in management of purpl

loosestrife near a Rotala occurrence. Plan

recommendations are being translated rapidly into action

longii), a wetlands bulrush in the CPCnational collections that is endemic tothe eastern United States, mainly alongthe coastal plain, from Nova Scotia tosouthern New Jersey. In the course ofwriting the plan, the author, TomRawinski, who works with the Massa-chusetts Audubon Society, went outand found new populations, some ofthem fairly large, reports Farnsworth.He was able to give us some brighter

news. Thats the kind of new informa-tion we get via the process. The authorsare fabulous and they do a lot of field-work and herbarium research, to checkon and verify historic occurrences.

Another rare, vulnerable plant ben-efiting from the research generated bythe NEWFS project is ParkersPipewort (Eriocaulon parkeri).

An undergraduate student supportedby a National Science Foundation grantthat grew out of the project has foundseveral new sub-populations of thisdelicate aquatic wildflower in Maineat Merrymeeting Bay. Now, work willcontinue with this species to gather pre-liminary information on its basic lifehistory and potential pollinationmechanisms.

For other plants, even if the list ofknown occurrences does not growthrough the plan-writing process, thereare other benefits. For the Green Moun-

tain maidenhair fern (Adiantumviridimontanum), for example, the attention this project has brought means that plant listed as globally endangered withinthe last ten years already has a conservation plan whereas some species havehad much longer waits. Endemic to rockyserpentine habitats, this bright, glossy fernis threatened by mining and roads and requires collaboration across borders, between U. S. and Canadian conservation

ists, to ensure its survival.In fact, many of the conservation

plans could help imperiled native plantoutside of New England. The planningaddresses the New England populations, but the first part of each plan provides a regional and North Americanoutlook, Farnsworth says. We ask authors to place the plant in its wholerange context. This way, the plans canbe a model for all the states that havpopulations of these plants.

p h o t o b y N E W F S s t a f f

Some plan authors and volunteers really

got into their work!


10/16


logical Horticultural Society (AZH),promoting the possibility of high-syn-ergy partnerships between zoos andconservation botanists. Some produc-tive partnerships are already bearingfruit around the country.

By working with zoos, we can reacha different audience, Kennedy says.Its so appropriate for our organiza-tion to partner with zoos becausetheyre already working on many of thesame issues that we are.

In fact, some zoos may be so closelyaligned with CPC goals that they couldeven become participating institutions,just like the current 32 participating in-stitutions.

Any zoo that can meet admittancecriteria and is interested in developing

a conservation program for U.S. plantsis welcome to discuss preparing an ap-plication, Kennedy told the AZH.

Many zoos have horticultural armsthat are already engaged in researching,propagating, and interpreting native flora,and may work in conjunction with thezoos conservation efforts to restore na-tive habitats. Partnerships with CPC bota-nists can enhance these goals and accel-erate conservation efforts.

At the Cincinnati Zoo and BotanicalGarden, The Plant Research Divisionof the Center for Conservation and Re-search of Endangered Wildlife (CREW)has already collaborated several timeswith CPC botanists to help propagaterare and difficult species in the CPC National Collection, such asCumberland sandwort (Arenariacumberlandensis)Roan Mountain bluet( Hedyotis purpurea var. montana),Four-petal pawpaw (Asiminatetramera), Todsens pennyroyal (He-deoma todsenii), Meads milkweed (As-

clepias meadii), Avon Park harebells(Crotalaria avonensis), and Utes la-dies tresses (Spiranthes diluvialis). Ifan imperiled species is not setting seed,or if researchers cannot succeed ingrowing plants from seeds using tradi-tional methods, CREWs tissue culturelab can often help. CREW scientistsplace a small amount of tissue from anexisting plant on culture media contain-ing nutrients, hormones and water. The

results are often healthyplants that start their livesin test tubes.

As part of its Center forConservation and Re-search, the Henry DoorlyZoo in Omaha has a labfor rare and endangeredplants and is working on

cryopreservation tech-niques for North Ameri-can orchids of conserva-tion concern such as theWestern Prairie FringedOrchid (Platantherapraeclara).

Other zoos help pro-mote plant conservationby offering their visitorsinterpretive informationabout Americas vanish-ing flora. At the Cleve-

land Metroparks Zoo,horticulturalists havecreated the Endangered Plants of theMidwest Garden, highlighting threeCPC National Collection plants andtheir companion plant species. The CPCplants, forking aster (Aster furcatus),Kankakee globe-mallow (Iliamnarivularis), and Royal Catchfly (Sileneregia), are displayed with informativesigns telling visitors a little bit aboutthese unique natural treasures. The CPClogo is included on the signs.

In the Pacific Northwest, two zooshave forged partnerships with localCPC institutions to promote plant con-servation in innovative ways. At theOregon Zoo, senior gardener Rick

Plants and ZoosContinued from page 1

Hanes is working with conservationbotanists at Berry Botanic Garden tocreate upland prairie habitat featuringthe threatened Kincaids Lupine(Lupinus sulphureus var. kincaidii) andother rare, imperiled plants of theWillamette Valley.

The upland prairie of WillametteValley has been encroached upon by ag-riculture and cities, and its now downto 1 percent of its original range, ex-plains Hanes. Its thought to be themost threatened habitat in the state. Wegot involved because the endangeredFenders Blue Butterfly relies on theKincaids Lupine, but developing theplant habitat turned out to be just a re-ally perfect fit for us. Were really ex-cited about it.

When the zoos prairie habitat exhibitis finished, visitors will be able to viewconservation research underway rightunder their noses. Interpretive signage

will introduce the plants and BerryBotanic Gardens rare native plant con-servation programs, and researchers willbe able to monitor the growth and repro-duction rates of the plant species, someof which have been difficult to grow out-side of the greenhouse.

Here at the zoo, we had the location,location, location, and Berry had the

At the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, scientists

bank genetic material in a Frozen Garden to preserve

resources for vital restoration projects in the future.

Four-petal pawpaw (Asimina tetramera),

an endangered Florida tropical fruit, is

grown in tissue culture at CREW .

Continued on page 11photocourtesyofCREW

photocourtesyofCREW


11/16


Continued from page 6

native tree that bears juicy fruit similarto custard apples. Theres also theFlorida ziziphus (Ziziphus celata), re-lated to the Chinese ziziphus that is apowerful element in Chinese medicine.And Florida mints like the short-leaved

rosemary (Conradina brevifolia) or thetoothed savory (Calamintha dentata)make soothing, potentially therapeuticteas.

Theres a lot we dont know,Peterson points out. Most of the in-formation on ethno-botany has beenlost, but Id be surprised if NativeAmericans didnt use these mints. Theyhavent been tested for medicinal value,but they have unique chemistry in themthat includes anti-fungal and perhapsanti-inflammatory elements.

Using gas chromatography andmass-spectrophotometry, Petersenidentified essential oils in mint plantsand found compounds that are known

to be anti-fungal, anti-herbivore, andallelopathic. In the plant, these couldfunction to deter rot, insects, and com-petitor species in the soil around theplant. These plants potentially havevery valuable roles in the chemical ecol-ogy of their habitats, she says, andthey may have filled medicinal roles forNative Americans.

But, of course, this does not mean weshould head for the field in search of arare mint when we come down with thesniffles. Remedies, even natural, are bestprepared and prescribed by profession-als, and proper identification and sustain-able harvesting of native plants is ex-tremely important. The case of the popu-lar herbal remedy Echinacea provides awarning against uncontrolled collection.

Over-collection of a vulnerable plantbecause of possible medical value is ex-tremely harmful to the plants survival

and could prevent our ever knowingabout the plants beneficial effects.

McCue works with Tennessee purpleconeflower, (Echinacea tennesseensis),a federally endangered wildflower withbright purple petals very similar in ap- pearance to common Echinacea.

Hidden Value

Hawaiian palms. Their seeds werethought to be recalcitrant, but research-ers were harvesting them too early,when they looked healthy and mature.However, when researchers harvested

them later, when they were dried up,the seeds responded much better to or-thodox storage methods.

There are still many species whoseoptimum storage conditions are un-known. Recalcitrant species are a fur-ther problematic area. While problem-atic seeds are currently maintained bygrowing plants and tissue cultures, Dr.Walters reminds us that there is a riskof genetic erosion in using this method.

Once the seed category has been dis-covered and good quality seed are col-

lected, it is not too difficult to manageseeds in seed banks. It is really impor-tant for people to understand that bank-ing the seeds of endangered plant spe-cies is a means to an end, Walters points out. It is not a substitute forhabitat restoration, but rather a way topreserve genetic diversity. [Seed bank-ing] is a method of conserving a non-replenishable natural resource.

Zoos

Echinacea in general is very populain the herbal trade, McCue says. Byand large the Echinacea that is processeis wild-collected. Theres a perceptionthat whatever benefit you could get igoing to be stronger in a wild-collecteplant, but theres no proof of that. Collectors dig out the roots, and theyre noparticular about which species theyr

digging.Echinacea tennesseensisgets hit because if you dont really pay attention, ilooks like any other coneflower. Ive seenit on glades: holes where the plants havbeen dug up. Theres no incentive to harvest sustainably. Uncontrolled harvesting, along with habitat loss and development, threatens many rare plants.

For some plants, the stakes may beven higher. Virginia sneezeweed(Helenium virginicum), another CPCplant, may have anti-cancer properties

There are some indications that it mayretard tumor growths, and if healthypopulations can be restored, scientistcould take advantage of these healingproperties. Yet another reason to givthanks for our valuable, vanishing natural resources.

Seed BankingContinued from page 3

photobyCaseyGalvin

Tennessee purple coneflower

(Echinacea tennesseensis)

Okeechobee Gourd (Cucurbita

okeechobeensis)


expertise, says Hanes. So it was a goodopportunity to publicize their programs,and at the same time do something ben-eficial towards restoring these at-riskplants. Plus, its an opportunity to edu-cate the public. Its not just the old-growth forest were going to loseitsliterally your backyard.

In, Seattle, the Washington RarePlant Care and Conservation Program

at the Center for Urban Horticulturepartners with the Woodland Park Zoo

to present an annual wildflower celebration. The June event offers games, activities, and information about rarewildflowers, all free with zoo admission.

Nationwide, eight American zoohosted events for international planconservation day last year. As Kennedytold AZH members, All zoos can helpconservation of our U.S. flora!


12/16


healing began. Now,we are taking thenext step. Yes, we aregoing to rebuild, andyes, we will continueto exist.

In the interveningyears, Reichard andother CUH scientistshave made do thebest they could. Us-ing temporary trail-ers as office space,

Now, Reichard will be able to con-duct her own tissue culture work in-cluding further studies with ShowyStickseed.

This beautiful plant, the rarest in thestate of Washington, currently only

grows in the wild in one site, a sharplyslanted embankment near a major high-way. We all agree that its essential forits survival that new populations areintroduced in the wild, but the currentpopulation isnt producing viable seed,she says.

Merrill Hall

theyve borrowed lab facilities when possible from university researchers.The people on campus have been verygracious, says Reichard, But youknow what they say about the guest whostayed too long.

Plus, workspace in the trailers wascramped extremely so. Stacks of col-lections and field results pile up on thefloor, and volunteers could only workone at a time preparing seeds for stor-age. The Miller seed vault was built asplanned, and is now operational, but ac-quisitions have been slower than antici-pated due to the shortage of workspace.

Reichard has also turned to privatelab facilities to continue the tissue cul-ture work so vital to saving some of thePacific Northwests imperiled plants.

Once again, colleagues have stepped upto lend a hand, and commercial scien-tists have volunteered to conduct somestudies in their private labs.

Weve been very grateful for the pri-vate people who were doing it on a vol-unteer basis, because theyve been re-ally great, Reichard says. But theresno substitute for doing it yourself.

So, in 2002Reichard andher colleagueswere out on theslope once againcollecting stem

tissue, and whatshe found withthe help of a pri-vate tissue labmay spell goodnews for thisfederally listede n d a n g e r e dplant.


We found that some clones of thisplant take to tissue culture really well,and others dont, she explains. Werecapable of producing lots of plants, butthey tend to be clones of only two orthree plants, and thats not good

enough. To do reintroduction, you needto have good genetic representation, sothats our real challenge. Once we getthe lab in the new building, well beable to do that.

The new Merrill Hall promises to bea boon not just for Reichard and herstaff, but for plant conservation in gen-eral. This is an important step in re-turning this valuable institution to itsrole in conserving and restoring thenatural resources of the Pacific North-west, says Dr. Kathryn Kennedy, ex-

ecutive director of the Center for PlantConservation.

It will return a valuable part of theCenter for Plant Conservation networkto full, productive status. And theirwork is urgently needed.

SneezeweeedContinued from page 5

photobyEdGuerrant

number of sites being found, maybe theMissouri populations are not as disjunctas we had thought. We need to lookbetween here and Virginia to see if thereis actually a continuous range.

Researchers are also learning moreabout the plants natural history. Whilemost of the newly located plants havebeen found growing in the margins of

sinkholes, botanists have discoveredthat sinkhole habitat is not obligatory

for Virginia sneezeweed. Some indi-vidual plants are able to survive in wetswales (low marshy areas) as well.

These new finds could spell a happyending for Virginia sneezeweed. Butsince nearly all of the discovered popu-lations are located on private land, craft-ing agreements for protection and studyor reintroducing the plant to protectedpublic land is still vital.

For one thing, it gives us a chanceto learn about this plants life history,

seed setting success, seed dispersal, andmore, McCue says.

Since private land sites are not cur-rently secured against future develop-ment, working on conservation agree-ments or creating secure sites on pub-lic land is vital to secure the long-termsurvival of this unique plant.

Until then, CPC plant detectives areon the case.

As firefighters doused the flames of an incendiary bomb in

2001, botanists mourned a major setback in conservation work.

The new labs will allow botanists to finally return to full capacity

restoring vulnerable plants like the Showy Stickseed(Hackelia

venusta), which exists in the wild at only one site.

photocourtesyUniv

ersityofWashington


13/16


meadows in eleven locations in Wash-ington State, eight in Oregon, and pos-sibly a few in Canada.

But many of these occurrences haveshown significant decline in recentyears, reaching sizes too small to be

self-sustaining, and several have appar-ently disappeared. The two largest re-maining populations are found on landowned by the U.S. Forest Service thatis currently being grazed by cattle.Now, the allotment that allows for cattlegrazing is being reconsidered, and thefuture of this beautiful, delicate wild-flower hangs in the balance.

The Forest Service is making a de-cision whether or not to renew a ten-year grazing permit on the land where blue-eyed grass occurs, explains

Raven. Were wrapping up a five-yearproject with this plant, and weve foundtheres practically no fruit productionwhen theyre being grazed by cattle.Reproduction is significantly reduced.

Marked by bright flowers with peri-winkle petals and a yellow center, theplant is capable of reproducing asexu-ally by sending out underground rhi-zomes that grow into clones. Grazingforces plants to rely more heavily onthis method. Cloning will make thepopulation seem larger, but the genetic

resources of the population will remainrelatively constant since many indi-vidual plants are simply genetic copiesof their parents. When there are fewergenetic variations in individual plants,populations are all the more vulnerableto disease, predation, and disturbances.As Ravens report told the Forest Ser-vice, Copying a lottery ticket does notincrease the odds of winning.

Researchers found that cows particu-larly like to eat the fruit of the pale blue-

eyed grass, and grazing cattle have amuch bigger impact on the plant thannative wildlife like elk, deer, and ro-dents. Blue-eyed grass plants in afenced cattle-exclusion plot producedtwice as many new plants. Because theplants periods of emergence, flower

production and seed development over-lap with cattle grazing months, these plants are vulnerable throughout theseason. Research found that just onemonth of grazing resulted in the re-moval of nearly half of all leaves andnearly all flowers and fruits from grazedplants.

Raven has presented these findingsto the Forest Service, and now the de-cision rests in their hands. If all goeswell, the pale blue-eyed grass could jointhe ranks of vulnerable Northwest na-

tives being given a firmer footing byCPC botanists.

The Center for Urban HorticulturesRare Care team at the University ofWashington also works with many na-tive Pacific Northwest plants, includ-ing the Wenatchee Mountains checker-mallow(Sidalcea oregana var. calva).CPC botanists at Rare Care haveworked to establish seedlings of thisbright pink wildflower, which got aboost two years ago when the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service designated 6,135acres of seasonal wetlands as criticalhabitat for the plant.

Another important and vulnerableNorthwest species being researched atRare Care is the Showy Stickseed( Hackelia venusta). For more informa-tion on challenges and achievements ofresearch with this, one of the rarest plantsin the state of Washington, see the front-page article of this newsletter.

Umpqua mariposa lily (Calochortus

umpquaensis)

Pacific NorthwestContinued from page 8

photobyEdFlorance

photobyN.A.Fredricks

Way-side Aster (Aster vialis)

David OrrContinued from page 4

pointing out whats in bloom.The first day Audubon opened, we

were expecting about 100 volunteers,but 300 showed up. I think everyonehas wanted to help Waimea all along,but they didnt want to work with pre-

vious management. Now the floodgatesare open. One great thing aboutAudubon is theyve hired a full-timevolunteer coordinator, which takes ahuge weight off my back.

So, take us on a tour of the vul-nerable Hawaiian plants at Waimea.

On the tours, I explain CPCs work,and then I take them through the Ha-waiian plants for exampleBrighamiainsignis, which look like cabbage on abaseball stick. I show the old plants thatare plants that we grew from even older

ones that we hand-pollinated, but theyounger are wild collected from thenorth shore of Kauai; so they can seethat older ones are not really suitablefor a conservation collection.

I showPritchardia munroi, and ex-plain there were not originally any co-conuts on Hawaii, only one genus ofpalms. And I usually show the rareChamaesyce skottsbergii var.kalaeloana, which was thought to beextinct, then rediscovered a few yearsago. The only population is found on a

US Naval Air Force property wheretheyre going to clear off the top sixinches of soil because it used to be ashooting range.

Id like to do more reintroductions ofthese rare plants, and once we get thestaffing back, the skys the limit. But forright now, were holding our own.

photobyK.Wood

Pu aupaka (Brighamia

insignis), on view at Waimea.


14/16


There are many ways to help theCenter for Plant Conservation continueto recover Americas vanishing flora.Every gift counts and is important tous.

Unrestricted Giving: These gifts arenot designated for a particular programor project. Funds are used where thereis the greatest need.

Honorary and Memorial Oppor-tunities: You can choose to make yourgift in honor or memory of a friend orloved one.

Stock Gifts: As your financial advi-sor can confirm, there are advantages

to giving appreciated stock directly.Gift Friendships: CPC Friendships

make great gifts! A way to say you care,a gift Friendship can be sent for anyoccasion.

Plant Sponsorships: Plant sponsor-ships provide the funding to get thehands on work done for plants in theNational Collection.

Our Friends and Donors are thebackbone of our native plant conserva-tion efforts, providing the help we needto run a national plant conservation or-ganization. CPC could not exist with-

How you can help the Center for Plant Conservation recover native plantsout their help. The Center for PlantConservation accepts gifts in the formof cash, check, credit card, or transferof securities.

If you would like to know moreabout donating to CPC, please contact:

Maria BradfordDevelopment ManagerCenter for Plant ConservationP.O. Box 299St. Louis, MO 63166-0299(314) 577-9457or e-mail [email protected]

Give Thanks for a Natural Bounty Worth PreservingThe first Thanksgiving feast in-

cluded many native foods that the Pil-grim Fathers and Mothers learned togrow and cook from Native Americans.In fact, our natural resources could stillhelp America grow stronger, healthierfoods, but many native flora are at riskof dying out unless we step in to savethem.

The Center for Plant Conservations National Collection of EndangeredPlants includes several plants that areclosely related to food species andcould hold genetic secrets for longerplant life or more nutritional value.

Through traditional plant breedingtechniques, botanists may be able tocapture the economic value of thesevulnerable native treasures--but only if

we work now to preserve wild popula-tions for the future.You can help by fully or partially

sponsoring a species in the NationalCollection. The unsponsored speciesfeatured on this page all have food-re-lated properties, and many other fasci-nating and valuable plants awaitingsponsorship can be found in online atwww.centerforplantconservation.org.

Give us a call at (314) 577-9457 ifyoud like to learn more about spon-soring a little piece of Americas natu-

ral bounty.For information on two more

unsponsored plants with value to cropspecies (Texas wild rice andOkeechobee gourd), see our article onthe hidden value of plants on page 6.

Unsponsored Plants in the National CollectionPine Hill flannelbush(Fremontodendron decumbens)

Pine Hillflannelbush

is a memberof the cacaofamily,whichincludes thetropical andsubtropical

plants that are used to make cola andchocolate

Pecos sunflower (Helianthusparadoxus) Because this wildsunflower is in the same genus as ourdomestic sunflowers, their genes areknown to be invaluable in improvingcharacteristics like yield, oil content,and disease resistance of cultivatedsunflowers. The Pecos sunflower isfound growing in brackish salinewaters, which is proving useful indeveloping a cultivated sunflower

Sand food (Pholisma sonorae)Stems of this mushroom-like plantwere historically eaten raw or roastedby native American tribes.

Nevins barberry (Berberisnevinii) This species is a federally-listed endangered species that is also

popular ingardens andwidelycultivated, inpart for itsbright rededible berries.

Alaalahua (Alectryon macrococcusvar. auwahiensis) The mild, sweetseeds and scarlet-colored fruit of thistree provided food for the earlyHawaiians.

Saiya (Amoreuxia gonzalezii) Thestarchy roots of this species wereeaten by the Seri, Pima and TohonoOodam people living in the Ameri-can Southwest.

Manns gardenia (Gardenia mannii)

This member of the coffee family is atree that grows to a height of up tofifty feet with creamy, fragrantblossoms that open in the late after-noon and last for about two days.

Tumamoc globe-berry(Tumamoca

macdougalii)Amember of the gourd

family. photobyLyndaPritchett-Kozak

photobyBartOBrien

photobyDieterWilkin

photobyPattieLeslie

which will

growundersalinecondi-tions.


15/16


Give the gift that keeps on growing!The Center for Plant Conservations efforts are made possible

by the Friends of CPC. All Friends receive a complimentary sub-

scription toPlant Conservation, the CPC newsletter. Plus, Friends

will receive our new Friends benefits, with distinticive botanical

illustrations of the imperiled plants that your gifts support. The

benefits feature artwork by botanical illustrator Bobbi Angell.

Please use the form below either to renew your support or

enroll as a new Friend. Your gift will contribute in an im-

portant way to the vital work of saving Americas most

imperiled plants.

$35 ............. Friends ....................4 notecards

$75 ............. Family Friends ........above and 3 magnets

$150 ........... Sustaining Friends ..above and canvas lunch bag

$250 ........... Benefactors .............above and 15 boat bag

$500 ........... Preserving Donors*

$1,000 ........ Conserving Donors*

$5,000 ........ Presidents Circle Donors**These Donors will receive periodic informational updates about the progressof the Center.

This is a gift membership for a new Friend. (Please list name,

address and phone number of recipient on the form at right.)

Please send this completed form and payment in enclosed envelope,

or mail this form to: Center for Plant Conservation, P.O. Box 299, St.

Louis, MO 63166

Enclosed is my check for $ _______________ made payable

to the Center for Plant Conservation.

Please charge my: VISA Mastercard

Card No.

Name on card

Expiration date

Please print your name as you wish it to appear in the newslet-

ter Honor Roll.

Your name

Friends name (if needed)

Address

City State

Zip Telephone

(Dr., Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, Anonymous)

(Dr., Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, Anonymous)

We wanted to let you know about anopportunity that will help raise funds forthe Center for Plant Conservation, whileproviding you with a convenient way toshop for holiday gifts (or anything else,for that matter). When you shop at

iGive.com a percentage of your purchasesare donated to a charity of your choice.

So you can send your Aunt Tilly a giftpack from Hickory Farms and CPC willreceive a donation of six percent of thevalue of the purchase. You can buy thatadorable outfit from Baby Gap for yourgrandson and CPC will receive two per-cent of the value of the purchase. Or, youcan pamper yourself with some luxuri-ous bath oil from Bath-and-Body andCPC will receive six percent of the valueof the purchase.

More than 450 stores participate in theiGive.com program, so you wont haveany trouble finding the perfect gift for ev-eryone on your list. You dont have tofight the crowds at the mall. You donthave to stand in line at the post office tomail your gifts to people in far off places.And, best of all, you are supporting theCenter for Plant Conservation with ev-ery purchase -- a win-win situation.

When you log on to igive.com, youmust register to ensure that funds will goto the charity of your choice. There is nocost or obligation to you when you reg-ister, and the process is simple. Just besure to use the keyword plant to help

you find and designate the Center forPlant Conservation as the recipient of anyfunds generated by your purchases. Youcan get more information by visiting theweb site www.iGive.com.

And, while we are on the subject ofthe holidays, there are other ways tohonor your loved ones while supportingCPCs efforts to restore imperiled nativeplant species.

You can give a CPC gift membershipto a friend or family member. The personyou designate will receive all the benefits

of CPC membership, including a one-year subscription toPlant Conservation.So if you know someone who cares aboutplants, what better gift than membershipin the first national organization dedicatedsolely to preventing the extinction ofAmericas most vulnerable plants?

You can also make a year-end contri-bution to support CPC. Your tax-deduct-ible contribution can be designated to

help sponsor a plant in the CPC NationalCollection of Endangered Plants, or it canbe used to help offset the costs of coor-dinating our national program of speciespreservation and research. Your gift canbe made by check, credit card or througha gift of securities. (Check with your fi-nancial advisor about the advantages ofgiving appreciated securities.)

You might be able to increase thevalue of your gift through an employeematching gift program. Many employ-ers will match employee gifts dollar fordollar (and some even more). Check withyour human resource department to seeif your company will match your gift toCPC.

Thank you for your past support andbest wishes during the coming season!

With iGive, You Give More than Holiday Gifts

You could help sponsor Clays Hibiscus

(Hibiscus clayi), a Hawaiian endemic in

the CPC National Collection.


16/16

P.O.Box299

St.Louis,MO63166-0299

NonprofitOrg.

U.S.Postage

PAID

St.Louis,MO

PermitNo.1039

Centerfor

Conservation

AddressServiceRequested

Plant Profile: Vine Hill Clarkia

Vine Hill clarkia is currently notsponsored. To sponsor or partially

sponsor this plant, please contactCPC at (314) 577-9540, [email protected].

Many people associate the Vine Hillarea of Sonoma County, California with

fields of grapes and fantastic wines. Toone little plant, however, it is a last ref-uge in a losing battle. Vine Hill clarkia(Clarkia imbricata) belongs to theevening primrose family, and is listedas endangered by the U.S Fish andWildlife Service.

Clarkia is an annual plant that pro-duces white or pink flowers late in theseason. Historically, there have only been two known populations of thisspecies in the Vine Hill area of Cali-fornia. However, one of these popula-

tions has been recently destroyed, leav-ing a lone population. A few hundredplants have been rescued and trans-planted at the California Native Plant

Societys Vine-Hill Preserve, but a sig-nificant effort needs to be made to savethe surviving native population.

To compound the problem, the clar-

kia seeds require a special kind of soilto germinate and grow, decreasing theprobability that these plants will be ableto come back after a significant distur-bance. The soil must be an acidic loamysoil with an undisturbed crust. Thesingle native population is on privatelyowned land. However, the CaliforniaDepartment of Fish and Game is seek-ing cooperation to acquire this land inthe hope of preserving this highly en-dangered plant.

The University of California Botani-

cal Garden, a participating institutionat Berkeley, is the primary custodian forthe clarkia in the National Collectionof Endangered Plants.

photobyRogerRaiche

By Megan Cotter, CPC intern

Autumn 2003 Plant Conservation Newsletter

Documents

Transcript of Autumn 2003 Plant Conservation Newsletter