Recent Efforts ‹ Bok Tower Gardens

Four-petal Pawpaw

(Asimina tetramera):
The four-petal pawpaw is found in two counties along the coastal dunes of southeast Florida. An estimated 1700 or fewer plants remain in existence, most on private land which could be developed. The Conservation Program of Bok Tower Gardens has been working with the Bureau of Land Management, Ecolo-g, Inc, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Palm Beach County to protect the species by introducing a new population onto protected land. The planting of 132 seedlings took place within a protected area in Palm Beach County in December 2008. Students from Jupiter Academy assisted in the effort. The first survival monitoring, which took place in May 2009, reflected the success of the project with a 99% survival rate.

Brooksville Bellflower

(Campanula robinsiae):
Brooksville Bellflower was originally thought to be located only near the Chinsegut Hill in Brooksville, until the surprise discovery by a park volunteer in 2007 of a new population many miles south in Hillsborough River State Park. The species is a tiny, short-lived annual, germinating in February, flowering in March, then disappearing after setting seed in early April. Each March during the peak of flowering, Conservation Program staff visits each population to collect seed and count the plants in order to keep track of yearly fluctuations in population size. In March 2009, Conservation Program staff worked with park biologists to flag and count the plants in the newly discovered population. These annual surveys will help biologists learn natural population fluctuations and monitor the health of the population.

Florida Goldenaster

(Chrysopsis floridana):
This federally and state endangered plant is only found in three counties of west central Florida (Hillsborough, Manatee and Hardee) in sunny, bare patches of sand in sand pine scrub. The Conservation Program of Bok Tower Gardens, along with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hillsborough County, Manatee County Environmental Lands Program and the S.W. Florida Water Management District, has been working to create a self sustaining and genetically diverse introduced population on protected lands. The first planting events, in July and August 2008, were very successful, so throughout 2008 and into 2009 Conservation Program staff propagated hundreds of additional plants from seed harvested from all of the remaining population for another planting. Another planting event, involving over 1,000 plants, took place in May 2009. This event required the coordination of three agencies and over 30 volunteers. The planting was very successful, and resulted in the creation of the third largest population of this species on protected land.

Our Conservation department gives a tour of the Endangered Plant Garden

Endangered Plant Gardens

As a way of helping to educate the public about the rare plant species of Florida, Bok Tower Gardens has been engaged in constructing Endangered Plant Gardens. Roughly 30 species of the rarest plants of Florida are featured in a circular planting area behind the visitor center at the Gardens. Interpretive signs describe the unique habitats which these species rely on and the role of prescribed fire in maintaining these habitats. In recent years, several additional Endangered Plant Gardens have been developed by the Conservation Program at other locations around Florida, such as the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville and Cedar Point Environmental Center in Englewood. A student-run rare plant garden has been created at St. Thomas University in North Miami, and rare plants have been donated as part of a native, water-wise landscaping design with public access at the USDA in Gainesville. Plants are currently in propagation for an educational rare planting area to be created in July 2009 by students at Pine Jog Nature Center in West Palm Beach.

Scrub Lupine

(Lupinus aridorum):
Scrub Lupine is a short-lived perennial herb endemic to central Florida and found only within eight remaining locations in Polk and Orange County. The Conservation Program is currently working to collect and store seeds from all remaining populations, and is performing germination studies to best understand how to propagate this difficult species. Although two of the remaining sites are on protected land, preserving this species will require establishing new, self-sustaining, healthy populations onto additional protected sites within its historic range. Bok Tower Gardens, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State of Florida, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission introduced a new population of this species in Polk County. The introduction took place over two planting events, one in December 2008 and one in May 2009, and involved roughly 600 seedlings. Survival and growth data which is being collected on the seedlings is providing good information on the life cycle and biology of this species, which will be important for future conservation efforts. In spring 2009 seedlings were also planted within the Tibet-Butler Nature Preserve in Orange County. The species once occurred at this site but has not been present for several years. The reintroduction, which involved roughly 80 plants, reestablishes the species onto the site.

National Collection of Rare Plants

In working to save a species from extinction it is important to preserve the genetic diversity that remains within a species. Bok Tower Gardens, as a member of the Center for Plant Conservation, curates a collection of rare plant material for that purpose. The National Collection consists of 60 planting beds of living rare plant specimens as well as a seed collection. Seeds are collected from all known populations and are dried, cleaned, counted and database recorded. The seeds are then packaged, labeled and stored at -20C, 4C or ambient-temperature. A subset of seeds is removed regularly and germination trials set up on the seeds, which helps determine the optimum storage method as well as any change in viability over time for each species. Seed within the National Collection can be used for conservation efforts such as population introductions, and serve as a buffer against extinction as populations are lost due to development. Since December 2008 the Conservation Program has added seed of Florida Ziziphus, Scrub Lupine, Florida Goldenaster, Scrub Morning-glory, Lakela’s Mint and Savannas Mint to the National Collection and plans to collect seed of Four-petal Pawpaw in July.

We're looking for some input from our friends tonight! What kind of events and offerings would you like to see at the Gardens in the future?

Recent Efforts