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TODAY'S HOURS: 8 AM – 6 PM

*Last entry is an hour before closing

Category: Research Projects

Biodiversity and Floristics

Ericales Program Overview

The plant order Ericales contains ca. 8000 species of flowering plants distributed in 22 families. The order contains a number of economically important edible plants, including tea (Camellia sinensis), kiwi (Actinidia), persimmon (Diospyros), Brazil nut (Bertholettia excelsa), star-apple (Chrysophyllum cainito), and blueberries and cranberries (Vaccinium), as well as popular ornamental plants such as azaleas and rhododendrons (Rhododendron), primroses (Primula), Impatiens, Erica, Phlox, and Camellia.

BRIT Staff March 17, 2021

Past Research

Rare Plant Mapping

Over the past decade, citizen science, the use of volunteers to collect data or conduct research, has increased in popularity. It has enabled scientists to collect large amounts of data using minimal resources and time. The use of citizen scientists to collect data is more cost effective than traditional science, even when experts are used to verify data collected (Gardiner et al. 2012).

Kim Norton Taylor March 17, 2021

Past Research

Plant Risk Evaluator

Through a 2017 Farm Bill grant, 4 botanic gardens across the nation commenced deployment of the PRE™ (Plant Risk Evaluator) tool and database. The PRE tool is a new plant risk assessment platform to address “what’s invasive?” while equipping the horticultural trade with a science-based and collaborative decision support tool. Each botanic garden partner assessed 50 plants of interest or contention within their region, for a total of 200 regional assessments. BRIT partnered with the Fort Worth Botanic Garden to evaluate species specific to Texas.

Kim Norton Taylor March 17, 2021

Current Research

NatureServe Conservation Status Ranks

NatureServe Conservation Status Ranks assess the conservation status of species at the global, national, and sub-national scale (G-rank, N-rank, and S-rank, respectively). These ranks assess the risk of species extinction at the global scale, or extirpation at the national and subnational scales. A standardized methodology and rank calculator have been developed to remove the ambiguity from the process of assigning ranks and ensure a transparent, consistent, and rigorous assessment to justify ranks.

Kim Norton Taylor March 17, 2021

Current Research

Rare Plant Surveys and Monitoring

Just under 450 plant species are considered rare in the state of Texas. For many of these, a lack of basic information on where they grow is the biggest hindrance to their conservation. Little information is available about the distribution and habitat needs of many rare species, and little has been done with what data does exist. This knowledge gap makes it difficult to prioritize conservation objectives.

Kim Norton Taylor March 17, 2021

Current Research

Mapping Rare Plants on Roadsides

BRIT is partnering with Tarleton State University to create predictive habitat maps of rare species for the Texas Department of Transportation. BRIT is working to better understand the habitat needs and preferences of 17 rare species by examining herbarium specimens and the scientific literature. This information will be mapped to show areas where each of the rare species is most likely to occur.

Kim Norton Taylor March 17, 2021

Biodiversity and Floristics

The Global Genome Initiative for Gardens (GGI-Gardens)

Natural history collections play an increasingly vital role in biodiversity studies. Much of the research that leverages these collections combines this accumulated diversity knowledge with genomic approaches. There is a movement toward improved collection practices that incorporate resources that can be used in genomics research.

Morgan Gostel, Ph.D. March 16, 2021

Current Research

Conservation Seed Laboratory and Seed Bank

Texas is home to 448 rare vascular plant species, including 113 species categorized by NatureServe as Critically Imperiled (G1) and at high risk for extinction. For many of these species only a handful of individual plants remain in the wild. These plants are faced with increasing levels of threats, with population growth and the resulting development, land use changes, invasive species, and now climate change all threatening to push our rarest species closer to extinction.

Brooke Byerley Best, Ph.D. March 1, 2021

BRIT Research

FWBG | BRIT Research Teams Awarded More Than $1.95M for Plant Exploration at Home and Abroad

Last December, two BRIT botanists and their teams of colleagues were awarded separate grants from the National Science Foundation’s Systematics & Biodiversity Science Program for

BRIT Staff January 19, 2021

Biodiversity and Floristics

1,000 Ascensions: Madagascar expedition

These are all just some of the steps involved in discovering new plant species and understanding plant biodiversity – or at least they were on my most recent trip to Madagascar in search of strange and wonderful plant life.

Morgan Gostel, Ph.D. April 13, 2020

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We respectfully acknowledge that the Fort Worth Botanic Garden is located on traditional lands of Indigenous Peoples. We honor the ancestry, heritage, and gifts of all Indigenous Peoples who were sustained by these lands and give thanks to them. We are grateful that these lands continue to provide enrichment for many people today. [More…]

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