Publications & Documents

In 2018, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Seed Bank (MARSB) and the University of Maryland
Extension conducted an internet survey of the native plant and seed user community throughout
the Eastern United States. The authors developed an extensive list of native plant users. The
survey was sent to names on that list, and those receiving the survey were encouraged to send it
on to other users for their input. We asked questions about the commercial availability of native

Positive interactions between people and nature inspire behaviours that are in harmony
with biodiversity conservation and also afford physical and mental health benefits.
Since most people live in towns and cities, urban greenspaces are key points
of influence for conservation, but also provide diverse ecosystem services. City
trees are a foundation for biodiversity in urban ecosystems, and their belowground
interactions with mycorrhizal fungi and aboveground interactions with pollinators

Plant and fungal specimens provide the auditable evidence that a particular organism
occurred at a particular place, and at a particular point in time, verifying past occurrence
and distribution. They also document the aspects of human exploration and
culture. Collectively specimens form a global asset with significant potential for new
uses to help address societal and environmental challenges. Collections also serve as
a platform to engage and educate a broad range of stakeholders from the academic

“Plant blindness” is the cause of several problems that have plagued botany outreach
and education for over a hundred years. The general public largely does not notice
plants in their environment and therefore do not appreciate how important they
are to the biosphere and society. Recently, concerns have been raised that the term
“plant blindness” is problematic due to the fact that it is a disability metaphor and
equates a disability with a negative trait. In this Brief Report, I place the term “plant

The Neotropics are the most species-rich area of the planet. Understanding the origin and maintenance of this diversity is an important goal of ecology and evolutionary biology. Success in this endeavor relies heavily on the past work of taxonomists who have collected specimens and produced the floras and monographs that constitute the foundation for the study of plant diversity.

Digital media offers a unique set of properties which are not being utilized to their full potential
at public gardens. Digital repositories along with videography and technology have existed in
organizations such as universities and private industry for decades as a means to “capture,
archive, and pass down institutional knowledge” (Doctor, 2008). Capturing intellectual capital
from senior level employees before they retire is vital to preserve the integrity, functionality, and

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17 calls for “strong global partnerships and cooperation” to support the other SDGs. The collections-based science community offers many examples of conservation of plant and fungal biodiversity, sharing, repatriation and aggregation of data, access to new technologies, supply of plant and fungal material, strengthening capacity of practitioners, and benefit sharing with the providers of biodiversity and genetic resources. Collaboration framed by workable multilateral treaties will increase our understanding of plant

Universities and other higher education institutions have a critical role in helping
society achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through their research,
learning and teaching, campus operations and leadership. This guide focuses on one
of the most important ways they can contribute, which is to harness their learning
and teaching functions to provide “Education for the SDGs (ESDGs)”, that will help
learners develop the necessary knowledge, skills and mindsets.

The adoption of a Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) in 2002 and its subsequent renewal in 2010 were significant milestones for the Convention on Biological Diversity. Not only did this strategy, its objectives and targets provide a valuable framework to guide plant conservation worldwide, it also played a critical role in mobilizing the plant and botanical community at global and national levels to develop new priority plant conservation actions.

Extinction rates are expected to increase during the Anthropocene. Current extinction rates of plants and many animals remain unknown. This study represents the first effort to quantify extinctions among the vascular flora of North America north of Mexico since European settlement.