The Ornamental Horticulture Team conducts the following activities:

Services Curation of germplasm collections of herbaceous and woody ornamental plants and of selected aromatic, medicinal, and industrial crops.    Coordination of NC7 Regional Ornamental Plant Trials.    Assistance in the verification of taxonomic identity of germplasm collections maintained at the NCRPIS.    Assistance in the development of managerial protocols. Research Understanding the roles of environmental variables (climate and soils) on woody plant adaptation.    Developing risk-assessment models to predict the likelihood that non-native woody plants will naturalize and potentially become invasive.    Describing patterns of genetic diversity among and within germplasm collections.    Describing patterns of germplasm demand and using such information to develop more efficient management systems.    Developing methods to break dormancy for genera being curated.   For more information contact Mark Widrlechner, Ornamental Horitculture Curator.