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STPLSD25
Shaman


Registered: 10/14/20
Posts: 329
Last seen: 2 years, 8 months
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Rare Medicinal Herbs threatened with extinction...
#26986738 - 10/15/20 10:06 AM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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I am an amateur botanist with only a few years of hands-on experience, after about a decade of buying herbal medicines.
I am recently learning about herbs threatened by extinction in my state (Almost Heaven, West Virginia...) Some of these include medicinal herbs, (which I am especially interested in.) specifically 5 different types of St Johns Wort (including Blue Ridge St. Johns Wort,Creeping St. Johns wort,Drummond St. John's wort and Sharpleaf St. Johns Wort,) and 4 different types of scullcaps. (Hooded Skullcap,Heartleaf Skullcap,Virginia Heartleaf Skullcap and, Rock Skullcap which is going extinct worldwide!)
What I'm wondering is, short of finding these species and moving them to more favorable environments, is there any other way to help the situation of plant extinction? Maybe a seed share program or anything?
It is of dire importance that we preserve the genetics and species of different plants, as different variations have different alkaloids, and so many plants are threatened with extinction due to global warming.
Opinions, answers, ideas- all greatly appreciated!!!
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"The State is a soulless machine, it can never be weaned from violence to which it owes its very existence"." ~Mahatma Ghandi “It is through separation that you will win: no representatives, and no candidates!” ― Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
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rud_dudl
Stranger

Registered: 10/16/18
Posts: 129
Last seen: 4 months, 30 days
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Re: Rare Medicinal Herbs threatened with extinction... [Re: STPLSD25] 1
#26986838 - 10/15/20 11:03 AM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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Hi STP, My perspective is that the most important thing to do is to protect habitat because those plants are not independent of their "relations" in the ecosystem. In more scientific terms, those plants are locally adapted and if they are removed to a private collection or gene bank, over time they may change because the selective pressures in their native environment will likely have changed. In situ conservation is always more desirable.
Some actions could include lobbying for protected areas, educating landowners about the rare plants on their properties, volunteering or otherwise working with organizations that protect habitat. United Plant Savers has a good reputation. Hope this helps, R_D
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STPLSD25
Shaman


Registered: 10/14/20
Posts: 329
Last seen: 2 years, 8 months
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Re: Rare Medicinal Herbs threatened with extinction... [Re: rud_dudl]
#26987149 - 10/15/20 02:07 PM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
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It did help, and it made a lot of sense. Thank you for your input, and information. I already do some of the things you named, advocating land owners to allow plants to grow etc. Biodiversity is important in every area for sure.
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"The State is a soulless machine, it can never be weaned from violence to which it owes its very existence"." ~Mahatma Ghandi “It is through separation that you will win: no representatives, and no candidates!” ― Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
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inski
Cortinariologist



Registered: 02/28/06
Posts: 5,746
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Re: Rare Medicinal Herbs threatened with extinction... [Re: STPLSD25] 1
#26987732 - 10/15/20 10:21 PM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
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The greatest tool or technology for saving plants that are at risk of extinction is micropropagation or tissue culture.
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Mateo
High on LIFE!



Registered: 06/24/11
Posts: 2,689
Loc: North Europe
Last seen: 3 years, 3 months
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Re: Rare Medicinal Herbs threatened with extinction... [Re: inski]
#26998063 - 10/22/20 02:19 PM (3 years, 3 months ago) |
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If you find some of those endangered plants out in the wild where you live you could come back at the time for harvesting seeds. Sow those seeds at home and then when grown into seedlings go out and plant the seedlings at favorable locations in the wild. I would guess there will be more plants doing like this compared with letting the seeds spread naturally.
-------------------- A wise rat has many holes
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