Fringed Campion (Silene polypetalum):  Fringed Campion is a perennial found in the hardwood forests and north facing slopes along Florida’s Lake Seminole and the upper reaches of the Apalachicola River.  This late spring bloomer creeps across the leaf litter of the forest floor rooting from runners and forming dense mats.  It is threatened by logging and the encroachment of invasive plant species.  We have propagated over 700 plants from cuttings and made this a new addition to the National Collection.

Savannahs Mint (Dicerandra immaculata var. savannarum):  This very rare species is known from only two sites in south St. Lucie County, and nowhere else in the world.  As the plant will soon be extirpated from both sites, we are in the process of rescuing all known individuals.  Each individual is cloned by propagation from cuttings and grown in the greenhouse.   Using these propagated plants, a protected population has been created within Savannah Preserve State Park in Port St. Lucie, to prevent the species from going extinct.  So far, over 600 plants have been propagated and planted into their new home within the state park.

Lake-side Sunflower (Helianthus carnosus):  This rare species is only found along roadsides and ditches within Flagler, St. Johns and Volusia County.  Very little is known about this species, so we have been engaged in research to learn about its biology and management needs.  We have recently completed a study which looks at the sensitivity of this species to commonly used herbicides during the different growth stages, and are starting another study to look at the dormancy mechanism of the seeds.

Ocala Vetch (Vicia ocalensis):  We performed our annual survey of this species along Silver Glen Springs and Juniper Run in the Ocala National Forest, in an effort to monitor any changes in the populations over time.  We performed yearly germination studies, which compare harvest years and populations, and collected seed for spring 2008 germination testing.

Four-petal Pawpaw (Asimina tetramera):  In 2006 we received plantlets in test tubes from the Cincinnati Zoo tissue culture laboratory for us to find a method to successfully transfer the test tube plantlets into potted conditions.  This is the most critical stage in tissue culture propagation of plants, as the leaves have no protective cuticle layer and the plants are not used to non-sterile conditions.  We have previously been able to successfully transfer the plantlets into pots in greenhouse conditions.  We have now successfully transplanted the larger plants into the ground in outdoor conditions.   Propagating this rare species using tissue culture may now become a viable method of preserving unique genetic stock and generating new individuals to plant in the wild. 

EDUCATION:  We contributed roughly 70 rare plant specimens to the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville to start an endangered Florida plant display within their native plant garden.  Museum staff are in the process of developing signs for the rare plants, and we are currently propagating additional species to add to the garden in coming months.

Godfrey’s Butterwort (Pinguicula ionantha):  Pinguicula, in Latin, means “little greasy one”.  Thousands of nearly transparent glandular hairs on the leaf surfaces of this carnivorous plant secrete a sticky substance to attract gnats and fruit flies.  This rare plant is found in north Florida, mostly within the Apalachicola National Forest, where it is threatened by shade from planted pines and fire suppression.  We are currently researching germination, propagation and transplantation requirements, and have rescued many individuals from areas that were disked for fire suppression.  We have just sown seed collected in May and are recording the rate of new seedling production.  Excess seed has been placed in refrigerated storage where it should remain viable for up to two years.  

Florida Jujube (Ziziphus celata):  Florida Jujube was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1984.  Since then we have been attempting to propagate each genotype to bring into the National Collection to preserve the species, as there is not enough genetic diversity for the wild plants to cross pollinate and produce seed.  The species cannot be propagated by stem cuttings, so we have been doing experiments to look at methods to propagate the plants using root shoots.  Factors explored include the use of plant growth regulators, nicking the roots and exposing root sections to light.  We have begun to achieve success and are now bringing some of the genotypes into the National Collection.