Micropropagation: An Important Tool in the Conservation of Endangered Hawaiian Plants
About half the taxa of native Hawaiian vascular plants are endangered in the biological sense. Some 25% have already been federally listed as endangered or threatened (272 endangered, 10 threatened); 49.5% of federally listed endangered plant species native to the U.S. are Hawaiian species. About 300 more have been significantly depleted and are currently treated as Species of Concern. Many endangered Hawaiian plants are exceedingly rare. Eleven taxa are currently known from only a single specimen of each remaining in the wild; more than 100 species currently have 20 or fewer plants remaining in the wild. Many rare Hawaiian plants have recalcitrant seeds, and standard seed storage techniques will not provide satisfactory long-term storage for maintenance of genetic diversity.
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Author(s): Nellie Sugii, Charles Lamoureux
Publication: Native Plants: Propagating and Planting