Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank at Chicago Botanic Garden

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United States of America - Illinois - Glencoe

Institution Code:

BGCI Member: Yes

About the Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank at Chicago Botanic Garden

The Chicago Botanic Garden cultivates the power of plants to sustain and enrich life. All life depends on plants. Clean air, clean water, food, shelter, clothing, and, traditionally, medicine—all of these resources, too often taken for granted, rely on plants. These fundamental facts motivate the Garden’s mission and its many activities that respond to issues that affect people close to home and around the world.

The Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank, a conservation project at the Chicago Botanic Garden, aims to collect and store, or bank, the seeds of tallgrass prairie region flora. The goal of the seed banking project is global in scope. The Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank, in association with the national Seeds of Success (SOS) program, is part of an international seed conservation initiative collectively known as the Millennium Seed Bank Project (MSBP), originally developed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the United Kingdom. This global program aims to bank 10 percent of the world’s flora by 2010 for long-term storage and conservation.

Main Address:
Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank at Chicago Botanic Garden
1000 Lake Cook Road
Glencoe
Illinois 60022 United States of America

Telephone: (847) 835-5440
Fax: (847) 835-4484
URL: https://sciencecollections.org/content/dixon-national-tallgrass-prairie-seed-bank
Primary Email: PVitt@chicagobotanic.org

Staff Details

  • Director's Name: Dr. Kayri Havens, Director of Plant Science and Conservation
    Curator's Name: Pati Vitt, Curator, Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank
    Plant Records Officer's Name: Emily Yates, Seed Bank Coordinator, Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank

About the Garden

  • Institution Type: Gene/Seed Bank
  • Date founded: 1972
  • Physical Data
  • Total Area: 156 Hectares
    Latitude: 42.1523170
    Longitude: -87.7862760
    Altitude: 176.40 Metres

Features and Facilities

  • Herbarium: Yes
  • Seed Bank: Yes
    Computer Plant Record System: Yes
  • Open to public: Yes
    Retail Outlet: Shop: Yes
    Disabled access: Yes
  • Number of Visitors: 1000000
    Number of Volunteers: 2000

Plant Collections

  • Accession Number: 19158
    Cultivation Taxa Num: 9414
  • Special Collections:Plant Collections
    Number of plants in records: 2.3 million (Jan. 2008)
    Trees, deciduous: 9,021 Vines: 13,441 Succulents: 1,510
    Trees, evergreen: 3,815 Groundcovers: 160,241 Aquatics: 24,045
    Trees, tender: 202 Perennials: 1,146,966 Epiphytes: 382
    Shrubs, deciduous: 51,546 Perennials, tender: 5,905 Annuals: 1,301
    Shrubs, evergreen: 11,751 Bulbs: 910,885 Shrubs, tender: 991 Cactus: 389

Conservation Programmes

  • Conservation Programme: Yes

Research Programmes

Education Programmes

  • Visitor/Education Centre: Yes
    Public Lectures/Talks: Yes
    Guided Tours: Yes
    Special Exhibitions: Yes
    Education Programme: Yes