Assessment of the Hamamelidaceae in global living collections

Frett, John J.“The great breadth of living collections is part of our cultural heritage. No one institution has the entire range of collection types or is ever likely to. This diversity among institutions and their collections is a societal strength-especially as collections are joined in working” (Rakow, Lee, & Raven, 2011). This statement describes the importance of thinking beyond individual garden collections to achieve a greater impact. Regular analysis of a sub-group of plant taxa in this context of representation in regional or global collections allows for a more robust assessment of that specified taxa. Whereas individual arboreta and botanic gardens ensure their collections meet the goals of their Living Collections Policies, networks such as the Plant Collections Network (previously called the National Accredited Plant Collections Consortium), or the Botanic Gardens Conservation International ensure that plant groups are represented with depth amongst a network of arboreta and botanic gardens (Rakow et al., 2011). ☐ For this investigation the subgroup chosen for assessment was the Hamamelidaceae. The goals of this thesis were to (1) reconcile the nomenclature and taxonomy for the family, (2) research and summarize descriptions for each species, (3) note local and global conservation concerns, (4) assess what members of the Hamamelidaceae are in living collections, and (5) create a cultivar checklist for the family. This research provides institutions with an evaluation of the current state of the Hamamelidaceae in global living collections, and can be used to determine if certain taxa should be targeted for inclusion in individual or joint living collections strategies that ultimately aid in ex situ conservation.University of Delaware, Department of Plant and Soil SciencesM.S