Ex Situ Conservation of the Globally Imperiled Eastern Mountain Avens (Geum Peckii) in Nova Scotia, Canada

Seed banks and botanical gardens worldwide seek to preserve plant germplasm ex situ as a complementary conservation tool in support of in situ habitat restoration efforts. Studies on population stability of Eastern Mountain Avens (Geum peckii), an endangered plant species found in Nova Scotia, identified a need for additional conservation strategies. Our work represents a significant advancement toward development of ex situ conservation methods for G. peckii. Ex situ conservation research on G. peckii began in 2012 at the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre’s Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens and Acadia Seed Bank. Methods for seed collection, processing, storage, germination, propagation, and outplanting were developed for this species and implementation of ex situ conservation of G. peckii is now possible. This research marks the first time in Nova Scotia that an endangered plant species was successfully retrieved from seedbank storage, propagated by tissue culture and outplanted back into a natural habitat. This research also confirmed for the first time G. peckii grows in association with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and G. peckii propagated in tissue culture can be effectively inoculated with these fungi and outplanted successfully.