The Garden established the Seed Bank at Shaw Nature Reserve in 2013 to supplement its on-site plant conversation locally and globally.
Seed banking is a valuable conservation tool that enables the long-term storage of genetic diversity of a large number of plant species. It involves collecting, cleaning, drying, recording, and storing seeds at low temperatures for future conservation and restoration uses.
As of the end of 2017, the facility contains 3,863 dormant seed accessions which include 761 different taxa. Additionally, collections from over 25 percent of Missouri’s flora are stored in the Seed Bank, including 64 Species of Conservation Concern.
