Seed Ecology of Federally Threatened Pinguicula ionantha (Godfrey\u27s Butterwort)

Pinguicula ionantha G. (Lentibulariaceae) is a carnivorous plant occurring in historically fire-dependent bog habitats of longleaf pine savannas. The species is limited to 6 counties within the Florida Panhandle. The species is currently listed as federally threatened due largely to habitat loss. The objective of this research is to provide the appropriate Pinguicula ionantha germination and seed bank information that would aid in the deli sting of the species. Eleven collections of Pinguicula ionantha seeds were made from natural populations. All germination trials took place in a seed germination chamber. Treatments included stratification, liquid smoke solutions, plant growth regulators (PGR), Murashige and Skoog (MS) media, and presoaks with gibberellic acid, bleach, and water. Seeds were counted daily for germination. For the seed bank study, soil samples were collected with a hand trowel in areas where P. ionantha plants were visible or known to be present previously. All soils were assessed for percent moisture, texture, pH and seedling emergence. Six soil replications were made from each soil sample. Highest germination percentages among all treatments were achieved with the GA3 presoak. For the seed bank study, no P. ionantha seedlings were observed in the first soil collections. In the second soil collections, 2 Pinguicula seedlings were observed in THSF 4 soils during week 8 of seed bank study. A higher emergence of monocots and dicots in TAFB 1 and TAFB 4 soil compared to other sites in the second soil collection may indicate that these sites contain a higher vegetation density. Due to the higher germination percentages with seeds sown directly on 1% agar and significantly higher germination percentages with GA3 treatments on filter paper, future studies should focus on combining different concentrations of gibberellic acid presoaks with seeds sown directly on 1% agar. Information may be used from these findings for potential reintroduction of this species into areas where populations are declining or extirpated