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Bok Tower Gardens Receives $15,000 Challenge Grant from Foxwynd Foundation to Help Save One of the World's Rarest Plants

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Bok Tower Gardens Receives $15,000 Challenge Grant from Foxwynd Foundation to Help Save One of the World's Rarest Plants
Challenge grant will double community support for conservation of the critically endangered Florida Ziziphus

Lake Wales, Fla. — Bok Tower Gardens has received a generous challenge grant from the Foxwynd Foundation to support critical conservation efforts aimed at preventing the extinction of the Florida Ziziphus (Pseudoziziphus celata), one of the rarest and most imperiled plant species on Earth.

The grant will advance the work of Bok Tower Gardens' Rare Plant Conservation Program (RPCP), helping secure the future of this federally endangered species through scientific research, propagation, habitat restoration, and reintroduction into the wild. The Foxwynd Foundation's gift will match donations made in support of this initiative, doubling the impact of community contributions to rare plant conservation.
"This investment represents a significant step forward in our efforts to protect one of Florida's most extraordinary native plants," said Cheryl Peterson, Conservation Program Manager at Bok Tower Gardens. "With the support of the Foxwynd Foundation and our donors, we can work to preserve the remaining genetic diversity of Florida Ziziphus and restore this remarkable species to its native habitat."
The project will focus on collecting and conserving the remaining genetic material from wild Florida Ziziphus populations that are not yet represented in conservation collections. Funding will support clonal and greenhouse propagation, seed collection, habitat restoration, and the establishment of a genetically diverse population within protected sandhill habitat.

In addition to field conservation, the grant will fund applied scientific research, including seed biology studies and laboratory analysis of the plant's endophytes which are beneficial microorganisms that may play an important role in the long-term survival of the species. Restoration activities, including invasive species management, will improve habitat conditions to encourage successful pollination and natural regeneration once plants are reintroduced.

Bok Tower Gardens is uniquely positioned to lead this effort. The Gardens maintains the only known population of Florida Ziziphus that consistently produces viable fruit, making its conservation collection the only remaining source of genetically diverse seeds for the species. While new populations established in the wild will strengthen Florida's imperiled sandhill ecosystems, the Gardens' conservation collection serves as a critical safeguard against extinction.

The grant also invests in the future of conservation through intern and student training and volunteer engagement—helping to build local conservation capacity while delivering measurable outcomes for one of the world's rarest plants.
The Foxwynd Foundation's challenge grant provides an opportunity for the Bok Tower Gardens community to join this important conservation effort. Every qualifying gift made to support conservation of the Florida Ziziphus will match Foxwynd’s investment, doubling the impact of this effort to save Florida Ziziphus.
To learn more or make a matching gift, contact the Bok Tower Gardens Department of Philanthropy & Membership at philanthropy@boktower.org or 863-676-1408. An online giving portal will be available at www.boktower.org.

About Foxwynd Foundation:
The Foxwynd Foundation partners with nonprofit organizations that are transforming lives through innovative and sustainable solutions. Guided by its mission to create lasting impact, the Foundation invests in initiatives that expand access to housing, healthcare, and environmental sustainability while fostering collaboration, compassion, and measurable community outcomes. Learn more at www.foxwyndfoundation.org.
This grant was made possible through a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) of the Foxwynd Foundation.
 
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Bok Tower Gardens Receives $15,000 Ch...

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