Developing Sources of Native Grass Seed for Revegetation in Florida

Abstract

On the Ground • As with much of the eastern United States, the native plant communities present in Florida when European settlers arrived have been converted to cropland, pastureland, and industrial forest production. • Increasingly, both public and private entities have been making efforts to restore some of the converted acreage to a semblance of the original plant community for reasons of water quality, wildlife habitat, and aesthetics. • The lack of a commercial source of seed for Florida ecotypes of native grasses is one of the main costs associated with current revegetation efforts. • A long-term program, by the USDA, NRCS, Brooksville Plant Materials Center and various cooperating public and private institutions, has fostered the development of a commercial, native grass-seed industry in the state.