Rare Plant Main

Genetic Preservation: Lyon Arboretum

Plant Restoration and Enhancement, Micropropagation/Storage

Objectives: To expand the current tissue culture, propagation, and storage of all endangered Hawaiian plants possible. Emphasis will be placed on the "Genetic Safety Net" (GSN) species in efforts to achieve complete genetic safety net coverage for these living critically endangered taxa of Hawaiian plants, including capture of the maximum genetic diversity remaining in wild populations.

Grant Relationship to Other Projects: This grant funds a substantial portion of the endangered species recovery effort, which encompasses the use of micropropagation for propagation and germplasm storage. The Micropropagation Laboratory has 1 full-time Assistant Researcher, (0.75 FTE support from this grant, 0.25 FTE support from other UH funds), occupied by Nellie Sugii, M.S., who directs the lab. This program was staffed until April 2005, by one full-time (40 hrs/week) Botanical Specialist. Funds for the Botanical Specialist position were provided through other grants and are no longer available. The Lyon Arboretum Micropropagation Laboratory also received 891 volunteer hours this fiscal ye an averaging seven volunteers/month.

Performance:

• Between the period of July 1, 2004 and June 30, 2005, the Lyon Arboretum Micropropagation Laboratory received 222 submissions representing 64 native Hawaiian species; 39 (66%) of these species are federally listed as Endangered, one (2%) Proposed Endangered, three (5%) Species of Concern, and five (9%) Candidate.
• To date, the Lyon Arboretum Micropropagation Laboratory has successfully grown 302 Hawaiian plant taxa using micropropagation techniques, of which 138 are listed by the state and federal governments as endangered or threatened.
• The Micropropagation Laboratory has been successful in propagating 64 GSN species. Currently, there are 46 GSN species being propagated in the laboratory.
• To date, 216 native plant taxa (of which 143 are federally and state listed species) are in various stages of propagation at Lyon Arboretum Micropropagation Laboratory.
• The majority of the 6,600 plants are currently in the facility are being maintained as in vitro germplasm storage collections. Sixty three percent of the laboratory's total plant inventory are listed or proposed for listing by state and federal governments.
• This fiscal year, the Micropropagation Laboratory has sent out 70 plants consisting of 5 Hawaiian Native species for restoration/reintroduction, research, education, botanical and display garden and forestry.
• Two new Hawaiian endemic plant species were submitted to the Micropropagation Laboratory.

Publications/Reports:
Sugii, N. 2004. The integrated Hawaiian conservation community. Public Garden-J. Bot. Amer. Assoc. Bot. Gar. Arb. 19(3): 25-27

Additional Information:

• The Lyon Arboretum is part of the Hawaii Rare Plant Restoration Group (HRPRG), a collaborative network of several organizations, agencies and private landowners co-chaired by the Plant Recovery Coordinator at the USFWS and the State Botanist from the Hawai`i Division of Forestry and Wildlife. This network also includes the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Amy Greenwell Botanical Garden, Waimea Arboretum, Honolulu Foster Botanical Gardens, Hawai`i State Department of Land and Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army, the Army National Guard, the Center for Plant Conservation, The Nature Conservancy-Hawai`i, private landowners and others. Through this concerted effort, endangered and threatened Hawaiian plants can be identified, collected, monitored, propagated and stored with the possibility of restoration as a final outcome. The Genetic Safety Net list (GSN), generated by the Hawai`i Rare Plant Restoration Group, is a collection of plant taxa identified as "critically endangered" and given top management priority. Currently, there are approximately 150 taxa of Hawaiian plants that are "critically endangered" (less than 50 plants known to remain in the wild). Plans have been developed to devise an ex situ "genetic safety net" for all possible living plants of the 150 taxa, of which up to 20 may have be extinct in the next few years. The USFWS and the State of Hawai`i Department of Land and Natural Resources has adopted this list and uses it to direct its collections, monitoring and propagation activities.
• The Lyon Arboretum was closed to the public and volunteers on August 27, 2004. The closing was executed by the University of Hawai`i in response to HIOSH violations. Staff was allowed to continue to work, and functioned without volunteers for two months before re-opening for volunteers only on October 28, 2004. Lyon Arboretum re-opened to the public on January 2, 2005. An indirect effect of the closure was the publicity the micropropagation program and its conservation efforts received from the press. As a result, the program has seen an increase in the number of volunteer inquiries.
• On 2005, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed between Nellie Sugii of Lyon Arboretum and the College of Tropical Agriculture. This 2-year agreement (with option to renew) permits the development of an auxiliary site for the lab's in vitro germplasm collection. This 20' X 20' room located at the Magoon Research Facilities (Manoa, Oahu) is currently in the process of being retrofitted to accommodate a tissue culture lab. Partial funding for this renovation has been granted through DLNR. This auxiliary site will help safeguard the valuable in vitro germplasm collections currently being housed in a single site at Lyon Arboretum in the case of a disaster.
• On June 9, 2005, Nellie Sugii was appointed by DLNR-DOFAW to jointly manage DLNR's Pahole Rare Plant Facility, mid-elevation nursery for the island of O'ahu.
• The Lyon Arboretum received 891 volunteer hours this fiscal year from an average of seven volunteers/month.
• The Micropropagation laboratory and greenhouse received more than 108 visitors this past fiscal year. These visitations consisted of public school groups, University of Hawaii and Community College classes, interns, workshop participants, community groups, researchers and individuals.

State of Hawaii Home | DLNR Home | Division of Forestry and Wildlife Home