Exploration and collection of rare helianthus species from Southeastern United States

Abstract

A 10-day trip, encompassing 4600 km in the southeastern USA states of Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, was made in October, 2003. Our primary objective was to locate populations of Helianthus eggertii, then on the USDI, Fish and Wildlife Service Threatened and Endangered Species list, and H. verticillatus, a candidate for endangered species status. Helianthus eggertii has since been de-listed (August 2005). An additional objective was to collect seeds of H. porteri, a species reclassified from Viguiera porteri, which is endemic to granite rock outcrops in Georgia. We collected seeds from 27 populations of the above three species plus three additional species, H. angustifolius, H. atrorubens, and H. smithii. Seed was deposited with the USDA-ARS North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station at Ames, Iowa (NCRPIS) from which 24 of the 27 collections are available for distribution. The three 'target' species were represented by 13 collections of H. eggertii, eight of H. porteri, and two of H. verticillatus; none of the three species were previously available from the NCRPIS sunflower collection. The availability of seed of these three species will allow researchers around the world the opportunity to investigate the potential of these wild Helianthus species to contribute useful traits to cultivated sunflower. Complete collection data has been loaded Into the USDA-ARS Germplasm Resource Information Network (GRIN), and is available on the internet (www.ars-grin.gov).