Magnolia

North American Plant Collections Consortium Magnolia Collection

Andrew Bunting, Curator, The Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College

Administered through the American Public Gardens Association (APGA), the North American Plant Collections Consortium (NAPCC) is a network of botanical gardens and arboreta located throughout North America. Its goals are to coordinate a continent-wide approach to germplasm preservation and promote high standards of plant collections management. NAPCC collections serve as an international reference collection for plant identification and cultivar registration. Collection holders make germplasm available for taxonomic studies, evaluation, breeding and other types of research. Many botanical institutions throughout the United States and Canada participate in the NAPCC. The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University holds NAPCC collections for Acer, Carya, Fagus, Stewartia, Syringa and Tsuga. The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix has collections of Agavaceae and Cactaceae. The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, holds Acer, Malus, Magnolia, Quercus and Ulmus. In Florida, Fairchild Tropical Gardens in Coral Gables holds Arecaceae (palm family) and cycads and the adjacent Montgomery Botanical Center also participates in palms and cycads. Relatively smaller institutions also participate. The Betty Ford Alpine Garden in Vail, Colorado, holds a collection of alpine plants native to Colorado. The Polly Hill Arboretum on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, has an NAPCC Stewartia collection and the Mt. Cuba Center in Greenville, Delaware, holds Hexastylis and Trillium. Several genera are so large that it is very difficult for any one institution to hold all the species and cultivars, and some genera have such a wide geographic distribution that no one institute could offer the right climate and soil conditions for all the species. For example, the maples, Acer, are found throughout North America and into Central America. They exist throughout Europe, including the Mediterranean regions and spreading eastward to the Middle East and northern parts of Africa. Maples are found at high altitudes in the Himalayas and throughout China and all of southeastern Asia, including the rainforests. Because maples come from many different climatic parts of the world and because it is a very large genus, it was decided that the NAPCC collection would be held by many institutions throughout North America so that the breadth of the genus can be cultivated among the group’s varied climates. The NAPCC multisite collection for Acer ranges geographically from The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University in the northeastern United States to the Atlanta Botanic Garden in the southeastern United States westward to the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden in southwestern Canada, and several in between. Similarly, the collection of oaks, Quercus, is held by 30

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Nursery at Smithgall Woodland Garden, Atlantic Botanical Garden (Photo by Ethan Guthrie)

19 institutions. Currently, multi-site applications are being developed for Paeonia, Hamamelis, Penstemon, cycads, palms and warm season conifers.

Forming the Magnolia NAPCC

From 2010-2011, I worked on developing a multi-institution collection for Magnolia. Like Acer and Quercus, this is a genus with a wide geographic range, including northern South America, Central America, North America, Cuba and parts of the Caribbean, China, India, Japan, South Korea and many other countries in southeast Asia and adjacent Pacific Islands east to Papua New Guinea. Therefore, it was necessary to solicit botanical institutions from a wide geographic range within North America to fully contain a diversity of species of Magnolia. This consortium also represents those institutions with cultivar-centric collections. Some botanic gardens and arboreta have both species and cultivars, like the Atlanta Botanical Garden, but others, like the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley and Quarryhill Botanical Garden, focus only on species for which conservation is the key issue. In order to develop an NAPCC collection for Magnolia, one of the first steps was to assess botanical institutions across North America to see which gardens already have holdings that are unique and then to determine which institutions would help represent the breadth of the genus. Over 20 gardens and arboreta were considered for the consortium. It is necessary for a garden with NAPCC status to meet several criteria, including sound plant records systems, labeling, interpretation and existence 31

Magnolia of a current collections policy, to name a few. At a future date other gardens will undoubtedly be added. The following 14 institutions were selected to form the consortium: University of Florida-North Florida Research and Education Center, Atlanta Botanical Garden, South Carolina Botanical Garden, Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories andArboretum, JC Raulston Arboretum, Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College, Morton Arboretum, Powell Gardens, University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley, San Francisco Botanical Garden, Quarryhill Botanical Garden, Hoyt Arboretum, University of British Columbia Botanical Garden and Van Dusen Botanical Garden. Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories and Arboretum, Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College and Powell Gardens are all very cultivar-centric gardens, while University of California Botanical Gardens at Berkeley, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, San Francisco Botanical Garden, Quarryhill Botanical Garden, Hoyt Arboretum and University of British Columbia Botanical Garden focus primarily on wild-collected specimens with a conservation focus. The aforementioned all have at least ten species or more with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status. Quarryhill Botanical Garden has five species unique to the consortium and Atlanta Botanical Garden adds four more species.

Magnolia virginiana var. australis 'Santa Rosa', Bartlett Research Arboretum (Photo by A. Schettler) 32

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Member Institutes of the Magnolia NAPCC

At the University of Florida-North Florida Research and Education Center in Marianna, there is a large cultivar collection of over 100 taxa, used for teaching and education purposes. Many of the southeastern Asian species will grow here, including M. figo, M. insignis and M. maudiae. The Research Center has a solid collection of “yellow magnolias” and many of the new, modern-day cultivars. Atlanta Botanical Garden is located in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia. This collection is strong both in Magnolia 'Candy Kane' at University of Florida- rare and threatened species, and North Florida Research and Education Center offers a varied cultivar collection. (Photo by Gary Knox) Seventy-three taxa make up the collection. Interesting species include Magnolia cavaleriei, M. changhungtana, M. conifera var. chingii, M. compressa and M. cylindrica. The collection is also strong in M. grandiflora and M. virginiana cultivars. South Carolina Botanical Garden is located on the campus of Clemson University. This collection has expanded through the generosity of Richard Figlar, Past President of the Magnolia Society International. The Botanical Garden has 74 taxa, with 8 having IUCN status. Many interesting species are represented, including M. conifera, M. ernestii, M. insignis, M. laevifolia, M. lotungensis, M. odora and M. Magnolia laevifolia (Photo by A. Schettler) yuyuanensis. 33

Magnolia Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories Arboretum is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. This is the largest collection in the consortium with 256 taxa representing 486 individual specimens. Because of its location, they are also able to grow many of the southeastern Asian species. Bartlett has strong cultivar collections of M. grandiflora, M. virginiana and M. ×loebneri. Bartlett adds 80 unique taxa, Magnolia kwantungensis (Photo by A. Schettler) primarily represented by cultivars, to the consortium. Interesting species abound here, too, including M. biondii, M. ernestii, M. figo, M. fordiana and M. foveolata. The JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University is a small arboretum named in honor of the late professor and world-famous plantsman, JC Raulston. The garden is located on the edge of campus in Raleigh, North Carolina. Representing 115 taxa, they have a fine balance of species and cultivars. Like Atlanta Botanical Garden, the Raulston also has a strong cultivar collection of M. grandiflora and M. virginiana. Inter-

Magnolia yuyuanensis at JC Raulston Aboretum (Photo by A. Schettler) 34

Issue 91 esting species include M. kwangtungensis, M. laevifolia, M. lotungensis, M. platypetala, M. yuyuanensis and M. zenii. The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College is located just south of Philadelphia. The core collections have a strong ornamental component, featuring a large selection of “yellow magnolias” that represent over 25 taxa. At the heart of the collection is an old Magnolia ×soulangeana collection with many specimens over 80 years old. Original specimens of Arbore- Magnolias at Swarthmore (Photo from Scott Arboretum) tum introductions are found on the campus, including M. virginiana var. australis ‘Henry Hicks’ and M. denudata ‘Swarthmore Sentinel’. The Morton Arboretum is one of the coldest locations of any garden in the consortium. Located in the Chicago suburbs in Lisle, Illinois, the Morton focuses its collection on primarily wild-collected germplasm. Of the 56 taxa, there is a strong representation of M. stellata and M. kobus cultivars. Species of known wild origin include M. acuminata, M. denudata, M. liliiflora, M. macrophylla, M. officinalis, M. salicifolia, M. sieboldii and M. tripetala. Powell Gardens in Kingsville, Missouri, is located 30 miles east of Kansas City. Like the Morton Arboretum, it experiences both summer and winter extremes in temperature. Powell has a large cultivar collection, particularly with many M. stellata and M. virginiana. M. grandiflora cultivars might be the Powell’s strongest collection. There are several cultivars of M. grandiflora which are unique to Powell and found in no other gardens in the consortium, such as M.g. ‘Barbara Hull’, M. g. ‘Kansas City’, M. g. ‘Lexington’ and M.g. ‘Odessamo’.

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Magnolia The University of California Botanical Gardens at Berkeley is a strong conservation-based collection, featuring magnolias from southeastern Asia, as well as Central American species. While the collection of 32 taxa is relatively small, the quality of the collections is immense. Focusing on wild-collected germplasm, Berekley has many interesting accessions, including M. amoena, M. chevalieri, M. dealbata, M.delavayi, M. globosa, M. guatemalensis, M. schiedeana, M. sharpii and M. sinica. Located nearby is the San Francisco Botanical Garden. This collection has both a strong species focus, as well as a sizeable cultivar representation of M. ×soulangeana and M. campbellii. Of the 90 taxa, 13 have IUCN status. Some of the interesting cultivars include M. c. ‘Betty Jessel’, M. c. ‘Langschlafer’, and M. c. ‘Strybing White’. The species collection is impressive and includes M. aenea, M. aromatica, M. biondii, M. champaca, M. chapensis, M. coco, M. conifera var. chingii, M. crassipes, M. guatamalensis, M. martini, M. platypetala, M. rostrata, M. wilsonii and M. zenii. Quarryhill Botanical Garden is a relatively young garden; however, it is incredibly rich in its holdings. In large part, the collection has been built by Director Bill McNamara as a result of his countless trips to Asia and has a particularly strong focus on Chinese taxa. Quarryhill has 33 species of which 11 have IUCN status and 5 are unique species within the consortium. Quarryhill is located on the grounds of the home of writer Jack London in Glen Ellen, California, in the heart of wine country in the Sonoma Valley. Some of the most notable species include M. aromatica, M. chapensis, M. compressa, M. conifera, M. dandyi, M. delavayi, M. fulva, M.

Magnolia lotungensis (Photo by A. Schettler) 36

Issue 91 guangxiensis, M. kwangtungensis, M. lacei, M. opipara, M. shiluensis, and M. sinica. Hoyt Arboretum is located two miles from downtown Portland, Oregon. The Hoyt is notable for its collection of 32 species. The Arboretum focuses on southeastern Asian germplasm, including M. campbellii, M. cylindrica, M. dawsoniana, M. doltsopa, M. ernestii, M. floribunda, M. foggii, M. insignis, M. lotungensis, M. megaphylla, M. stellata and M. wilsonii. The University of British Columbia Botanical Gardens is located on the edge of campus in Vancouver, British Columbia. This species-centric garden focuses on wild germplasm predominantly from China and southeastern Asia. The late Peter Wharton greatly contributed to the diversity of the garden. Some of the more interesting holdings include M. amoena, M. cavaleriei, M. conifera, M. fordiana var. fordiana, M. globosa, M. insignis, M. martini, M. maudiae, M. sinica, M. yunnanensis and M. zenii. They also have diverse cultivar collection of M. campbellii. Also located in Vancouver, British Columbia, is Van Dusen Botanical Garden. While this garden predominantly focuses on Magnolia cultivars, they do boast a modest collection of species with 5 that have IUCN status. There is a strong collection of Magnolia ×soulangeana cultivars.

Goals

While one of the primary goals of the consortium is to expand its holdings, the group will work on both one- and five-year goals, reporting progress to the Magnolia Group chair, Andrew Bunting. The one-year goals consist of: 1) Developing a relationship with an herbarium willing to hold documented vouchers from NAPCC collections. 2) Jointly committing to an accepted reference for Magnolia nomenclature so that there is a standardized consistency of nomenclature amongst the participants in the consortium. 3) Convening as a group for the first time at the APGA national meeting in June of 2012 in Columbus, Ohio. 4) Compiling data into a single and searchable database and performing annual updates of this database. 5) Conducting gap analysis to prioritize missing taxa that should be added to the consortium’s collection. 6) Developing a relationship with the Magnolia Society International and writing one article per year for the MSI Journal. 7) Developing protocols for an organized system of requesting and sharing seed and plant material between institutions in the consortium. 8) Developing Google Group for communications purposes and sharing documents. 37

Magnolia 9) Developing and implementing an annual survey on the member’s magnolia-related activities. Five-year goals for the consortium include: 1) Developing a system for both participating and non-participating institutions to have access to germplasm of the consortium’s target species for ex situ conservation. 2) Acquiring 25% of all IUCN Red List Magnolias in NAPCC Magnolia Group collection. 3) Developing a list of all Red List magnolias that should be held in NAPCC collections. 4) Increasing the number of institutions growing Red List taxa in their collections. 5) Increasing the quantity of plants of Red List taxa grown in institutions (preferably increasing the number of plants representing different provenances to increase the genetic diversity being conserved ex situ for a given taxon). 6) Promoting an increased exchange of plant material and connecting with other institutions (herbaria and/or universities conducting field research or collecting trips related to our target species) that may be able to provided wild-collected seed of Red List taxa through their own conservation and research activities. 7) Developing relationships with botanic gardens in areas of species diversity; i. e., South China Botanical Garden to acquire Chinese species. 8) Conducting gap analysis to prioritize threatened populations. 9) Increasing herbarium documentation by vouchering a flowering specimen of all accessions of wild origin and depositing in an herbarium(a) and voucher 25% of fruiting specimens of accessions of wild origin.

Gary Knox, Vice-President of MSI (Photo by Sue Hamilton) 38

Issue 91 10) Photo-documenting all taxa, including cultivars. 11) Regarding cultivars: a. Identifying which cultivars are rare and not available in the trade anymore. b. Developing tools for assessing the need to preserve cultivars for future breeding programs. c. Developing protocols for evaluating cultivars best suited for different climatic areas of North America; i. e., Powell Gardens-lower Midwest climate. d. Providing resources for people and institutions doing hybridization work.

Conclusion

The NAPCC Magnolia Group has provided the framework for a project that is currently being developed by the Magnolia Society International. The MSI has taken the model of the NAPCC multi-institution collection to embark on a global conservation project for Magnolias, The Global Consortium for the Ex Situ Conservation of Magnolias. Over the next year this consortium will seek global partners and enlist botanic gardens from around the world to hold the ex situ collections of magnolia with an emphasis on IUCN Red List magnolias. The work of the NAPCC Magnolia Group will play a key role in the development of this global consortium. The goals for the NAPCC Magnolia Group are robust. However, the consortium represents many of the very best botanical institutions through-

Magnolias at Swarthmore (Photo from Scott Arboretum) 39

Magnolia out North America. At the writing of this article the consortium is also working on recruiting both The Huntington Botanical Gardens and Library in San Marino, California, and the United States National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. Without doubt, this group will become stronger over time and have more capacity to follow through on the goals of the consortium.

Pink blooms of Magnolia sprengeri var. diva (left) eclipse those of M. dawsoniana (left, background), while the white flowers of M. doltsopa (center) punctuate the fog at San Francisco Botanical Garden. (Photo by David Kruse-Pickler)

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