Premise: The effective ex situ conservation of exceptional plants, whether in living collections or cryo‐collections, requires more resources than the conservation of other species. Because of their expertise with rare plants, botanical gardens are well positioned to lead this effort, but a well‐developed strategy requires a clear understanding of the resources needed.Methods: Grant funding was obtained from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to support a three‐year project on cryobanking, and to provide smaller grants to 10 other botanical gardens for one‐year projects on either (1) seed behavior studies or (2) the development of protocols for in vitro propagation or cryopreservation.Results: Nine of the partner gardens worked on 19 species (one was unable to continue due to the COVID‐19 pandemic), while the larger project focused on 14 species. A point system was developed for tasks accomplished, and the average costs per point of the larger and smaller projects were similar. Labor accounted for half the costs. Projects focused on species in the Asteraceae and Orchidaceae had lower costs per point than other species.Discussion: Both large and small projects can contribute to a strategy for exceptional plant conservation for similar costs. Prioritizing species with lower costs could help advance the field while allowing time for work on more difficult species to develop.

A consequence of the poaching crisis is that managed rhinoceros populations are increasingly important for species conservation. However, black rhinoceroses (BR; Diceros bicornis) and Sumatran rhinoceroses (SR; Dicerorhinus Sumatrensis) in human care often store excessive iron in organ tissues, a condition termed iron overload disorder (IOD). IOD research is impeded by the challenge of accurately monitoring body iron load in living rhinoceroses. The goals of this study were to (i) determine if labile plasma iron (LPI) is an accurate IOD biomarker and (ii) identify factors associated with iron-independent serum oxidative reduction potential (ORP). Serum (106 samples) from SRs (n = 8), BRs (n = 28), white rhinoceros (n = 24) and greater one-horned rhinoceros (GOH; n = 16) was analysed for LPI. Samples from all four species tested positive for LPI, and a higher proportion of GOH rhinoceros samples were LPI positive compared with those of the other three species (P < 0.05). In SRs, the only LPI-positive samples were those from individuals clinically ill with IOD, but samples from outwardly healthy individuals of the other three species were LPI positive. Serum ORP was lower in SRs compared with that in the other three species (P < 0.001), and iron chelation only reduced ORP in the GOH species (P < 0.01; ~5%). Serum ORP sex bias was revealed in three species with males exhibiting higher ORP than females (P < 0.001), the exception being the SR in which ORP was low for both sexes. ORP was not associated with age or serum iron concentrations (P ≥ 0.05), but was positively correlated with ferritin (P < 0.01). The disconnect between LPI and IOD was unanticipated, and LPI cannot be recommended as a biomarker of advanced rhino IOD. However, data provide valuable insight into the complex puzzle of rhinoceros IOD.

Do all plant biologists worldwide have equal access to novel methods, enabling them to be equally productive, publish, and receive credit for their research? Or does reduced access to cutting‐edge techniques in countries with lower financial resources create an inequity for researchers located there? Such disparities and biases do exist within our discipline and must be addressed if we are to move forward as a more just society. Applications in Plant Sciences has taken steps to address this important issue of research inequity, as outlined below. We now call upon the entire botanical community—researchers, editors and reviewers, funding agencies, and publishers—to work together toward a more equitable environment for all researchers around the world.

As an adaptation to unpredictable light and pollination levels in the deciduous forest, clonality in early spring flowering plants enables continued population persistence but can have profound impacts on the population genetic structure. To gain a better understanding of clonal diversity in the common spring ephemeral herb Erythronium americanum (American Trout Lily) and its relationship to population size, five populations were examined using microsatellite markers. In general, levels of genetic diversity were low, with larger and more dense populations of E. americanum exhibiting less allelic diversity than smaller and less dense populations. Over half (68.56%) of sampled individuals overall were clones, with populations containing 2–21 clones and larger populations possessing the fewest number of clones. Several factors may contribute to these patterns, including geitonogamy, genetic drift, and intraspecific competition. The patterns of allelic diversity across the range indicate two distinct genetic clusters of E. americanum with northern and southern groups separated at the Ohio River valley.