Title: Conservation of Oenothera wolfii (Onagraceae): Introducing a Threatened Plant into Two Protected Locations in Oregon

The showy biennial to short-lived perennial Oenothera wolfii (Munz) Raven, Dietrich & Stubbe (Wolf’s evening primrose) occurs in only a small number of isolated populations on the southern Oregon and northern California coast. This rare species is currently listed as Threatened in Oregon, and is considered a Species of Concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Its status results from having a limited geographical and ecological range while facing several threats, including habitat loss and hybridization with an escaped garden cultivar, O. glazioviana. In order to promote the conservation of O. wolfii and assess the feasibility of introducing new populations within the historic range of this species, plants were cultivated in the greenhouse and transplanted to two experimental field sites on the southern Oregon coast. In the course of this study, seed germination, cultivation and transplanting protocols, as well as site selection criteria, were developed or refined. Additionally, the survival and reproductive success of transplanted rosettes of various sizes were evaluated and transplant success in weeded versus unweeded plots was compared. While rosette size did not affect transplant survival, larger transplants were mor