SEEDS OF SUCCESS (SOS) PROGRAM AT
THE CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN

A Native Seed Collection Program for the Tallgrass Prairie and Surrounding Midwest Ecoregions

Seeds of Success (SOS) at the Chicago Botanic Garden is an extension of an international ex-situ seed conservation initiative – the Millennium Seed Bank Project (MSBP) developed and housed at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK. This global program aims to collect and seed bank 10% of the world’s flora by 2010.

Chicago Botanic Garden, as part of Seeds of Success and the MSBP, is collecting seeds from over 1,500 species for long-term native plant conservation and restoration, focusing on the tallgrass prairie flora and surrounding Midwest ecoregions. Tallgrass prairie is an endangered habitat now reduced to less than 0.01% of its former range.

A tiny seed holds the potential for a living and functioning plant – because seeds take up little space and are often produced in abundance, seed banking is an ideal ex-situ complement to in-situ conservation of plant biodiversity. Once dried and frozen, seeds can remain viable for 200 years or more - for every 1% reduction in seed moisture content, seed life span doubles - making seed collection an efficient and cost effective way to conserve the diversity of plant species for generations to come.