More Than Meets the Eye: Plant Conservation at The Huntington

In the 120 years since Henry E. Huntington built his estate, including its iconic gardens, the world has changed dramatically. Between 1903 and today, the Earth’s human population has quintupled, and the number of people living in California has expanded from over 1.5 million to more than 39 million. Human activity has triggered environmental changes that are reducing biological diversity around the globe, including the loss of hundreds of plant species in the wild. Though protecting endangered species was not Huntington’s impetus for creating his gardens, his passion for acquiring rare and unusual plants resulted in collections that now play a key role in global plant conservation efforts.

Huntington and his first superintendent of grounds, William Hertrich, were curious to discover how many plants from other parts of the world could be grown in California’s Mediterranean climate, and with ample resources to support this quest, they acquired a botanical trove. Today, the process of importing and exporting plants is highly regulated to protect against the transmission of pests and plant diseases, as well as to prevent the theft of plants in the wild. But during Huntington and Hertrich’s time, plants were acquired liberally from a range of places around the world. Thus, their botanical garden was born, and it now it serves as a safe haven for plants that are threatened and endangered in their native habitats.

In fact, several groups of plants that have been signature elements of the public-facing gardens since Huntington’s day are now the focus of intense conservation interest. Twenty-five core collections—which include cycads, succulents (including cacti), aroids, magnolias, and orchids—are central to The Huntington’s Ark Conservation Program, in which plants are both protected and, to the extent possible, propagated. Additionally, the Ark program encompasses an array of research and conservation initiatives that take place behind the scenes.

Established in the 1990s and initially focused on the desert collections, the Ark program has expanded to include all rare, endangered, or uncommonly cultivated species in The Huntington’s living collections. It comprises five main strategies for protecting plant biodiversity: preservation, research, education, networking, and distribution.

A key Huntington goal is to share resources and expertise with diverse communities. Public programming, interpretive signage, and exhibitions inspire guests to learn more about plants that capture their interest in the gardens and conservatories. Behind the scenes, Huntington staff routinely hosts professional development training sessions and publishes protocols for laboratory techniques that support plant conservation efforts at facilities around the world.

Through cryopreservation, micropropagation (also known as tissue culture), and long-term storage of seeds, Botanical staff preserves living tissues from certain species—especially those considered at risk. The Huntington also keeps a botanical library—an herbarium—containing more than 10,000 dried, cataloged plant specimens, as well as a tissue bank that provides materials for molecular studies. Data about where and when individual samples were collected are essential in studying how plant populations have changed over time.

As with accredited zoos, where endangered animals are protected and cared for as their species face extinction in the wild, botanical gardens safeguard rare and threatened plant species by growing them in cultivation. But this isn’t always easy. Not all plants adapt well to domestic settings, and plant reproduction can be complicated. Cycads, for example, are dioecious, which means each plant produces either pollen or ovules (egg cells). As a result, both a male and a female plant are required in order to obtain fertile seeds. Other plants require particular pollinators or pollination procedures, and some produce seeds that need specific conditions in order to germinate. When propagation efforts are successful, maintaining genetic diversity is vital, so botanical staff network with other institutions to exchange pollen, seeds, or plants.

Botanical gardens can share their successes with the public in a very direct way. Many plant species and cultivars in The Huntington’s gardens are available through seasonal plant sales. Since 1989, The Huntington has offered succulents of interest for purchase through the International Succulent Introductions program, which aims to propagate and distribute new or rare species to collectors, nurseries, and institutions. (The Huntington does not sell field-collected plants, and its seedlings, grafts, and rooted cuttings are produced under nursery conditions without detriment to wild populations.) In this way, a diversity of plant enthusiasts—ranging from colleagues at other botanical gardens to nursery professionals and home gardeners—can all participate in preserving populations of these plants outside of their wild habitat.

Indeed, some of the world’s most endangered plants in the wild are common in commercial cultivation. Examples include the Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo biloba), Dragon Tree (Dracaena draco), Cardboard Palm (Zamia furfuracea), and Golden Barrel Cactus (Echinocactus grusonii)—all prominent in Huntington landscapes and in gardens throughout Southern California. Their popularity in domestic settings means that these species are less at risk of absolute extinction, but their familiarity can make it difficult for people to recognize the plants’ precarious existence in their native habitats. Commercial production also masks a different problem: lack of genetic diversity. Popular plants in the nursery trade have often been cloned in vast numbers from just a few wild individuals.

Botanical gardens strive to preserve genetic diversity through careful propagation practices and work to reduce the poaching of plants from the wild by providing legal, affordable alternatives for sale. But protecting habitat around the world remains vital not only for plants (including many that have yet to be discovered), but also for all the organisms that depend on them. Through partnerships with such organizations as the Center for Plant Conservation and Botanic Gardens Conservation International, The Huntington shares knowledge and resources that directly support the study of threatened plants in the wild.

The Huntington’s collections—whether in the Library, the art galleries, or the gardens—gain new relevance as each generation finds fresh meaning in them. Careful stewardship ensures that The Huntington’s living botanical legacy will continue to support conservation efforts and inspire people to connect with and care about the natural world.

Sandy Masuo is the senior writer in the Office of Communications and Marketing at The Huntington.