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Did you know that CREW has cryopreserved 150 plant species? In fact, the Plant Division has more than 250 different species safely stored in the Frozen Garden of CREW’s CryoBioBank®!

While the Zoo celebrates 150 years, the Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife is celebrating its 44th birthday this year. It was the first of its kind: a research facility dedicated to both animal and plant conservation.

Since its establishment in 1986, CREW’s Plant Research Division has developed expertise in both in vitro and cryopreservation technologies, working to protect local and global plant biodiversity. Here’s a timeline to celebrate CREW’s greatest achievements in plant conservation!

1980’s:

1. CREW’s first endangered plant species, Trillium persistens, is successfully propagated in vitro.
2. CREW’s first plant species are cryopreserved.

1990’s: 

1. Plant scientists create and execute in vitro collecting techniques for plants in Trinidad, Costa Rica, and several habitats in the United States.
2. Work begins on in vitro and cryopreservation protocol development of endangered plants in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection, also funded by the first of several grants from IMS/IMLS.

2000’s: 

1. Black walnut embryos shown to be viable after 10 years of storage in CREW’s CryoBioBank®.
2. In 2005 CREW scientists propagated plants of the Cumberland sandwort for an experimental outplanting in Daniel Boone National Forest, contributing to the plants delisting from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Plants in 2021.
3. Multiple lines of Autumn buttercup are propagated in vitro and used for the first of four restoration plantings carried out into the 2010’s.
   CREW successfully develops a full in vitro propagation protocol for the endangered four-petal pawpaw from Florida, methods that were extended to two other endangered Florida species, Rugel’s pawpaw and the beautiful pawpaw.
4. CREW successfully develops a full in vitro propagation protocol for the endangered four-petal pawpaw from Florida, methods that were extended to two other endangered Florida species, Rugel’s pawpaw and the beautiful pawpaw.
5. Propagations and cryopreseration protocols are also developed for multiple rare species from across the U.S., including Alabama leatherflower, Todsen’s pennyroyal, Roan Mountain bluet, Awned meadow beauty, Florida ziziphus, and Boykin’s lobelia.

2010’s: 

1. Shoot tips, seeds, spores, pollen and other plant tissue prove viable after 10-20 years of storage in CREW’s CryoBioBank® in a large project funded by IMLS.
2. CREW’s work with oaks begins with grants from the Association of Zoological Horticulture, to study the effects of media on growth in vitro.
3. Plant scientists collaborate with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife to propagate and grow the endangered running buffalo clover in vitro for a restoration outplanting.
4. CREW coins the term “exceptional species” to draw attention to the conservation needs and challenges of species that can’t be conserved in seed banks.
5. CREW collaborates with the Lyon Arboretum in Hawaii to develop cryopreservation protocols for several of their exceptional species, with a grant from IMLS.
6. CREW establishes the Exceptional Plant Conservation Network to promote and facilitate research and conservation of exceptional plants.

2020’s: 

1. CREW’s oak work develops with grant funded projects to improve tissue culture and cryopreservation of threatened U.S oak species.
2. CREW supplies plants for restoration outplanting with our partners at Bok Tower Gardens in Florida.
3. Spring 2025: In collaboration with the Zoo’s Bowyer nursery and Kentucky Nature Preserves, CREW successfully propagates over 900 plants of the threatened Kentucky clover for restoration plantings at five sites within their native range in Kentucky.

This is just the surface of the wonderful conservation work being done at the Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife. If you’re interested in learning more, check out more of our blog posts and stay tuned!

Here’s to the next 150 years of Saving Species with Science®.