Conserving seed from the rare and endangered flora of the USA
Seed collections are made from the most endangered US plant species and preserved in seed banks for research and conservation.
Through our partners the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC), threatened plants are prioritised and seed is collected and banked by CPC member organisations with a duplicate seed collection provided to the US national germplasm system, and detailed collection data provided to the MSB Partnership Data Warehouse.
Dr Katherine Heineman, Center for Plant Conservation
Dr. Joyce Maschinski, Center for Plant Conservation
The project has succeeded in direct collection of 215 samples of seed from species that are nationally threatened (categorized as G1, G2 by Natureserve) or regionally rare (categorized as T1, T2). With combined efforts and additional funding provided to CPC from US Forest Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the California Biodiversity Initiative, CPC participating institutions have collected approximately 805 seed accessions from 316 globally rare species during the timeframe of this partnership.
A particular achievement has been the advancement of the California seed banking partnership, California Plant Rescue (CaPR) comprising ten botanical institutions working together to safeguarding the flora of California in conservation seed collections.
The Bass Charitable Corporation