Seed Collecting & Conservation Horticulture

Naples Botanical Garden has the region’s only conservation seed bank. Our conservationists concentrate on collecting the seeds of Southwest Florida native plants, many of which are threatened by rising sea levels, habitat loss, storm damage, and other stressors.

The seed bank includes:*

• Approximately 745,000 seeds, representing 95 species
• 84 species native to Florida
• 33 species native to the Caribbean
• 63 species that grow only in our region
• 20 state-threatened species
• 5 state-endangered species
• 6 federally listed threated species    

*Figures updated September 2025

Florida Plant Rescue: Naples Botanical Garden is among nine institutions participating in the Center for Plant Conservation’s Florida Plant Rescue. Each organization searches for targeted species in its geographic area and aims to prevent their extinction and conserve the state’s botanical diversity.

Conservation Horticulture: Collecting seeds is only part of the equation. Garden conservationists must figure out how to store them for the long term and how to prompt them to grow. There is little pre-existing research on Southwest Florida’s native plants; through experimentation and observation, our staff unlocks the secrets of how to grow them.