The Endangered Whorled Sunflower and Conserving Native Plants
Dr. Jennifer Mandel of the University of Memphis teams up with Anne Ballentine from the Memphis Botanic Garden to talk about the conservation of rare native plants.
Dr. Jennifer Mandel of the University of Memphis will discuss her research on the federally endangered Whorled Sunflower (Helianthus verticillatus), which is endemic to the Southeast. Until about five years ago, only five populations were known to exist in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee, but additional populations of the species have been discovered in Mississippi and Virginia. The newly discovered Mississippi plants were found to be genetically distinct from all other populations. Studying genetic diversity among and within populations of species is critical for survival in a changing world, and can provide conservation managers with the information needed for endangered species management.
Dr. Mandel and her team have broad interests in plant ecology, evolution, and biodiversity. In the field, greenhouse, and lab they ask questions about mechanisms that drive and maintain biodiversity. The Mandel team studies sunflowers and their relatives in the family Asteraceae, which is the largest family of flowering plants with more than 25,000 species distributed worldwide. Dr. Mandel teaches Molecular Ecology, Ecological Genetics, and General Biology. She has a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Vanderbilt University and completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Plant Biology from University of Georgia.
Anne Ballentine will talk about growing three endangered West Tennessee plant species at Memphis Botanic Garden - Whorled Sunflower (H. verticillatus), Red Turtlehead (Chelone obliqua), and Prairie Beardtongue (Penstemon tubaeflorus) - including how she propagates new plants and what happens to them afterwards.
Anne is the Curator of Native Plants and the Plant Sale Coordinator at Memphis Botanic Garden, and the former Plant Activities Coordinator at Lichterman Nature Center. She is currently president of both the Memphis Horticulture Society and the Wild Ones Mid South Chapter. In addition, she serves on the steering committee of the Tennessee Plant Conservation Alliance and is the West Tennessee Horticultural Partner for the organization. In her spare time, she enjoys working in her own garden where she is creating habitat for a wide variety of wildlife.
