DOT Project Number:  90-00-LRTF-536, 830

Fiscal Year:  1995, 1998

Award:  $65,500.00

Principal Investigator:  Margaret M. From

Other Project Participants:  Paul E. Read and Martin Cano

Summary Report:

WESTERN PRAIRIE FRINGED ORCHID; PLATANTHERA PRAECLARA, (ORCHIDACEAE)

Rare plants in the Great Plains Region face mounting pressures from habitat destruction and population fragmentation. Reproductive constraints, including inbreeding depression and declining natural pollen vector populations are two of the factors suspect in total fruit production at the remaining isolated habitats. Conservation efforts are being investigated in order to help prevent Platanthera praeclara extirpation through ex situ propagation technology, histological studies of cell types and their organization using scanning electron microscopy with in vitro produced plant tissues, and by implementation of hand pollination techniques for enhancement of fruit production in a wild population. Plant structures for P. praeclara have previously been largely unknown and understanding the species' unique growth habits is essential to conservation strategies. Seeds collected were successfully germinated in vitro on agar-gelled media. Federal and state permission was obtained to allow hand pollination studies with a small number of plants within a wild population. Results were a greater fruit set in the manipulated plants as compared to the control plants receiving no human assisted pollination.