Conservation of rare Colorado plant species, USA
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Status of project
Completed -
Region
North America -
Country
United States of America -
Programme
Global Botanic Garden Fund -
Workstream
Saving Plants -
Topic
Plant Conservation
Funded by US Forest Service via the Global Botanic Garden Fund
Project Completed: 2024
Institution: Denver Botanic Gardens (DBG)
Conserving Capulin goldenrod (Solidago capulinensis) and Colorado green gentian (Frasera coloradensis) on US Forest Service (USFS) Comanche National Grassland
Introduction
Imperilled Capulin goldenrod (Solidago capulinensis) and Colorado green gentian (Frasera coloradensis) are at risk of extinction due to their restricted distributions. This project, led by the DBG, in collaboration with the USFS, aimed to document extant populations, identify new occurrences and collect seeds of both species to support conservation efforts.
Project Goals
Capulin goldenrod, known only from a single individual on the grassland, is critically imperiled, while Colorado green gentian, also globally and regionally at risk, has a limited distribution across the southeastern plains of Colorado. The project successfully confirmed the continued existence of Solidago capulinensis but found no new individuals. In contrast, surveys for Frasera coloradensis verified its presence at five known sites, with successful seed collection at one location exhibiting robust fruit production.
Key Achievements
Only a single individual of Capulin goldenrod was found at the known site, with no additional populations located. Due to the low population size, seed collection was not feasible.
Five known sites were surveyed, confirming the presence of Frasera coloradensis at each location. However, only one site had sufficient seed production for collection following conservation guidelines.
Key achievements include refining georeferenced data for accurate habitat modelling, improving knowledge of both species’ distribution, and securing seed collections of Frasera coloradensis for ex situ conservation. Overall, the project underscored the urgent conservation needs of these imperilled species and laid a foundation for improved management through accurate mapping, targeted habitat identification, and climate-aware seed banking strategies.
