AUTHOR=Griffith M. Patrick , Meyer Abby , Grinage Ayress 

TITLE=Global ex situ Conservation of Palms: Living Treasures for Research and Education

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Forests and Global Change

VOLUME=4

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2021.711414

DOI=10.3389/ffgc.2021.711414

ISSN=2624-893X

ABSTRACT=<p>Under the old taxon Principes, palms were once the Princes of the Kingdom Plantae. First on Engler’s list, they occupy a cherished place to botanists, and remain treasured centerpieces of many gardens. In turn, botanic gardens have put forward a decades-long effort to conserve these widely admired plants, keeping a number of palm species from extinction. Living palm collections also have critical value for comparative ecological studies. In this paper we highlight successful <italic>ex situ</italic> conservation programs for palms, review how the promising new field of collections genetics can guide <italic>ex situ</italic> conservation of palms, conduct a family-wide gap analysis for living collections in the Arecaceae, and provide an in-depth case study of <italic>ex situ</italic> conservation of the genus <italic>Sabal</italic>. These analyses highlight ways in which gardens can advance palm conservation following four recommendations: <italic>collect, cultivate, communicate</italic>, and <italic>collaborate.</italic></p>