Plant Research

Avon Park harebells (Crotalaria avonensis)

Avon Park harebells is known from only three populations in the scrub habitat of central Florida.  In collaboration with researchers at Archbold Biological Station, multiple shoot tips were collected from over 200 plants to initiate tissue culture lines of this species at CREW.  Procedures for propagating this species in vitro have been developed by researchers in CREW’s Plant Division, and plants have been acclimated to soil and sent to ABS, as well as to collaborators at Historic Bok Sanctuary.  One plant has been planted into a wild site at ABS and the project will eventually return several hundred plants back into the wild.