Stopgap Funding for TorreyaKeepers Program needed this month


Florida Torreya (Torreya taxifolia) is an endangered tree with most of its limited range occurring in the Florida panhandle. The species has been in decline for decades and all observed trees are infected with a canker disease now attributed to a novel Fusarium species, possibly introduced from Asia by the horticultural or shipping industry (Smith et al. 2011).

Through our TorreyaKeepers project, the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) is working with private landowners to locate and document the condition of remaining wild trees. We are also partnering with Atlanta Botanical Garden to collect stem cuttings for offsite safeguarding to conserve the genetic diversity remaining for this species.

Please help us raise $1,200 to bridge the gap between now and when we receive our next grant award. You can donate here.

Progress

2020-10-06 Thank you everyone! We've reached 42% of our $1,200 goal in one day! We have only $700 left to fund this program's expenses through the end of the month. We really appreciate everyone's donations.

References

A Novel Fusarium Species Causes a Canker Disease of the Critically Endangered Conifer, Torreya taxifolia Jason A. Smith, Kerry O'Donnell, Lacey L. Mount, Keumchul Shin, Kelly Peacock, Aaron Trulock, Tova Spector, Jenny Cruse-Sanders, and Ron Determann. Plant Disease 2011 95:6, 633-639

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