conservation via horticulture (was new member intro)

Hannon othonna@gmail.com
Fri, 13 Feb 2015 16:36:35 PST
Steve in Australia writes:

" ...in my opinion & sales numbers, the distribution of rare & endangered
species of plants & seeds to home specialist collectors, nurseries & home
gardeners is by far the fastest way to ensure the survival of almost any
species."

Steve, if you mean saving them for us to enjoy in our gardens and
collections then I agree with you. To help plants in their survival as
natural products of evolution is by contrast an area in which we can do
little other than conserving natural areas and remnants. Our horticultural
endeavors do not incorporate adequate sampling size, pollinators, edaphic
factors or really anything that would in theory allow a species or
population to continue with evolutionary integrity in a manmade setting.

Specialized efforts to assist rare plants in the wild are commendable but
they are not the realm of horticulturists since their aims are very
different. The idea of conservation via cultivation, no matter how
carefully and thoughtfully done, should be thought of as something that is
an essential human endeavor. One could say that it is more a part of our
evolution than the plants' evolution. In this there is sufficient enjoyment
and drama apart from the fate of these plants in nature.

Dylan Hannon

*"The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add an
useful plant to its culture..." --**Thomas Jefferson*



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