Research on Native Plants


We Have a Lot to Learn About Native Plants

We Have a Lot to Learn About Native Plants

Most plant research is done on major crop plants.  Most of the over 3000 species and subspecies of Florida plants have never been the focus of scientific study.

FNPS is one of the few organizations that funds research on native plants.  We have conducted research ourselves, and we have funded research for others.

  • We fund projects, especially projects by graduate students.
  • We monitor rare plant populations
  • We study the results of plant restorations

FNPS conducts original research.  The organization designs the study, and it is implemented by volunteers.

At the current time, we have a project to map milkweeds that is ongoing.  One of the things learned is that milkweeds have become highly dependent on roadside habitats, likey due to management of forests and agricultural areas in ways inconsistent with milkweed survival.

We have several monitoring projects.  A new project is monitoring rare mint species (Dicerandra modesta and Dicerandra cornutissima), both federally listed species with very limited distributions.

Project updates are published in our blog, and project results will be published in our magazine, the Palmetto.

Details of featured projects are available from the link in the menu in the left column..

FNPS provides funds for research on native plants.  Most grants go to graduate students in the biological sciences sometimes in collaboration with advisors from their universities.  Typically 2-3 grants are awarded each year. 

These grants have been used for genetic studies, studies of habitat requirements, studies of plant demographics, plant biogeography and other topics.

You can access a list of all awardees from the menu on the left side of the page.

Endowment grant awardee John Moore studied a rare cactus, Harissa fragrans, with emphasis on causes of its rarity. Photo by John Moore.

 

 

The Florida Native Plant Society Annual Conference is held in May  The Research Track of the Conference includes presented papers and a poster session . 

Researchers are invited to submit abstracts on research related to native plants and plant communities of Florida including preservation, conservation, and restoration.  Presentations by those who received research grants are encouraged and solicited.   FNPS also solicits research related to plant conservation in general and on topics related to the year's conference theme.

 

Research presentation at 2011 conference