Fairchild Tropical Garden

Fairchild Tropical Garden proposes to document the garden's living palm species using herbarium specimens, digital photographs, and DNA studies, which will improve management of the palm collections. Current studies have revealed new information about how palms reproduce. This information suggests that the current practices for palm propagation may not be appropriate. Staff will use the DNA studies to evaluate the extent of hybridization within three palm genera, and will then produce guidelines for the propagation of the garden's palms. Fairchild Tropical Garden is known for having the one of the top palm collections in the field. The Garden will make the herbarium specimen data and photographs available to the public using an online database. This work will immediately affect the Fairchild's propagation and seed distribution efforts, and will benefit other botanical gardens by providing a better understanding of plant reproductive biology in the garden setting.