Catherine Young,  

Sponsor or Client: 

Title:

Efficacy of Using Terminal and Axillary Bud Cuttings as a Means of Propagation for the Endemic Alpine Species Packera franciscana

Abstract:

Packera franciscana, a federally “Threatened” dwarf alpine sunflower, only grows in the regions above the timberline of the San Francisco Peaks, located a few miles north of Flagstaff, Arizona. This species grows between the elevations of 3529 meters (m) and 3722 m above sea level (Fowler and Seig 2010). As of 2009, this species has been “locally abundant, persisting, and reproducing” (Fowler and Seig 2010), but it is still threatened by climate change, recreation, and living hundreds of miles away from any comparable environment (Fowler and Seig 2010). These factors put P. franciscana at risk for extinction. Due to the small stature of each plant (Johnson and Ayers 2015), a protocol for creating clones from bud cuttings was strategically designed. In this study, terminal and axillary bud cuttings were taken from mature individuals and the survival rate and overall growth of the cuttings after 6 weeks was measured. The mother plant growth rate increased by over 50% in both trials and 100% of the cuttings were successfully propagated. The data collected suggests the protocol created is an effective, practical method to increase the population without harming the mother plant.