Where Do Native Plants Come From?

Naturally Natives

Mommy, Where Do Native Plants Come From?

Text and Photos by Scott Woodbury except as noted

Remnant natural communities, like this original Ozark glade, are seed sources for the native plant industry. Native plants that we purchase from nurseries and garden centers, and use to establish native gardens and plantings, originate from seeds from the wild or from established plantings at places like Shaw Nature Reserve. Never collect seeds without permission from landowners.

Ever wonder where native plants come from? I mean, when you are at a native plant sale or nursery, perusing through all the species of plants available for sale, have you ever wondered where those plants come from? Are they divided from a big parent plant in a nursery, or are they produced from stem cuttings or in a test tube? The simple answer is no, most are grown from seed. I’m not talking about cultivars of native plants, I’m talking about straight species, the kind you see growing in the wild. The seed may come from parent plants growing in a nursery, but the seed that grew those plants originally came from the wild. Also, many nursery plants produced in Missouri are grown directly from wild collected seed. Yes, seed for native plant production comes from remnant native plant populations in the wild. At Shaw Nature reserve, we have been collecting seed of native plants from roadside ditches and bluffs, along railroad tracks and creeks, and old hay fields, since the 1930s when Edgar Anderson did our first glade restoration. Sadly, many of these original ancient sites are gone; developed, farmed, sprayed, or grown over with trees. However, other ancient sites are protected by various conservation groups, and it is through the hard work of these organizations that these original seed sources still exist. Many native plant nurseries depend on these wild areas as sources of seed, which is collected with permission and through strict seed-collecting contracts. (Never collect seed from the wild without first seeking permission

Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants

Homeowners Jan and James Trager planted their landscape extensively with native seed.and plants sourced from trusted industry resources.

from the landowner—on private or public land.) For decades, Shaw Nature Reserve (SNR) has collected seed in wild areas existing on private property, through the generosity of individual landowners. Doug Tallamy, author of Nature’s Best Hope, states that 83% of the United States is privately owned. Though many of these sites have degraded wild areas, they still support native plants that flower and produce seed valuable to our efforts at Shaw Nature Reserve, to our many partners, and the native plant industry. Through the practice of seed collecting over the past 90 years, SNR has reconstructed degraded farmland and restored damaged natural areas. From this practice, we also developed the Whitmire Wildflower Garden. The vast majority of plants in the garden were grown from local wild seed, collected by SNR horticulture staff and volunteers, thanks to early guidance by Dr. Peter Raven, director emeritus of Missouri Botanical Garden. In addition to continuing to collect seed from remnant native plant populations, we now have the capacity to collect seed at Shaw Nature Reserve. Through these efforts, we can support our partners at Tower Grove Park, Forest Park, and elsewhere throughout the St. Louis region with an abundance of local seed. These sites are on their way toward developing similar capacities. We also supply nurseries with much-needed seed to supply a thriving native plant industry. Lastly, the native plant industry in Missouri is collecting their own seeds in much the same way that Shaw Nature Reserve does. Be sure to ask your local nursery where their native plants come from. It makes a big difference. Native plants grown from (or originating from) wild seed are diverse genetically. This means they can thrive in spite of local pathogens, damaged urban soils and new weather norms. It also means they are capable of supporting countless beneficial insects, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. Plants from faraway places (including many cultivars, but not all) usually don’t have this advantage. Native plants grown from local seed are diversely beautiful. They come in a variety of tolerances, habits, shapes, sizes and colors, just like we do. And when planted together, they produce the greatest beauty and highest function, all with the added bonus of increased enjoyment and decreased maintenance. Happy gardening ya’ll!

Annual native plant sales at Shaw Nature Reserve and throughout the state are great sources for native plants. Garden Centers found in the Grow Native! Resource Guide are another reliable source.

Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter

~ LUTHER BURBANK

Horticulturist Scott Woodbury is the Curator of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO, where he has worked with native plant propagation, design, and education for 28 years. He also is an advisor to the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Grow Native! program. Find suppliers of native seed and native plants grown from seed at www.grownative.org/resource-guide.