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*