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4.9 2,912 Donors

Rare Plant Seed Bank | Seeds Banked Before Fire

In South Africa the snow protea grows wild on only a few rock outcrops in the Cederberg. A single plant may live 70 years and still open just 3 or 4 flowers. One fire on those ledges could take the last seed. A Rare Plant Seed Bank gift funds collecting it first. An expert botanist finds plants still setting seed and gathers it on a permitted trip. The seed is cleaned and dried and tested and then frozen at minus 18 degrees Celsius. In California our own field team works with the botanist. In South Africa and Australia our team joins a local field partner. Within 72 hours your account names the town and the work your gift supported.
Before the Fire Held at Minus 18 From Last Slopes Germination Test
Fynbos Seed Frozen
Seeds for Seedlings
Permitted Sites
Ready for Dry Years

Our crew is on the ground

See what we're doing, live

Our team and local partner in Clanwilliam, with an expert botanistClanwilliam · Cederberg · Western Cape

Field01
Live

Our crew is on the ground

Our team and local partner in Clanwilliam, with an expert botanist

Finding seedwith a botanist
Collecting tripfood and bags
Cleaningand drying
Testinggermination
Storageat -18 °C

Live from Clanwilliam

Clanwilliam live data · Nov 4, 22:45 UTC

24 °Ctemperature
38%humidity
9 km/hwind gusts
  • Clanwilliam
  • Cederberg
  • Western Cape
  • Temperature 24 °C
  • Humidity 38%
  • Gusts 9 km/h
  • Rain today 0.4 mm
  • Clanwilliam
  • Cederberg
  • Western Cape
  • Temperature 24 °C
  • Humidity 38%
  • Gusts 9 km/h
  • Rain today 0.4 mm

Your gift's 72 hours

The place and day your gift worked reach your account within 72 hours

Nowyour kindness
Receiptright away
Our crewin the field
Seedkept safe
We tell youplace and day

The next 24 hours

Forecast:Each forecast is checked 24 hours later

From the field
PopulationsAn expert botanist finds the plants still setting seed and is the only one who touches them, and we cover the field costs
Collecting tripYour gifts cover food, fuel and bags for each permitted collecting trip
EMERGENCY CALL
  1. This appeal was not opened for a single place. Right now your gift reaches our teams on the ground in , , and .

  2. , South Africa. The snow protea grows wild on only a few rock outcrops here, and one fire on those ledges could take the last seed. Our team and local partner work here.

  3. , California. Access for collecting was approved and the botanist counted plants on the slope. Our own field team works here.

  4. , California. Our team brought drying trays and bags out here so seed could dry to storage level. Our own field team works here.

  5. , South Africa. Near here the next rare species is already being planned for a new season of collecting. Our team and local partner work here.

  6. This week we followed 72 disasters that could affect endangered species and their homes, hour by hour. We are watching and most closely.

  7. Whichever way you give, your kindness reaches the same team. Within 72 hours we let you know which area it reached.

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All amounts are charitable contributions to No Name Foundation (Quenara), a U.S. 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Proceeds fully fund our humanitarian programs. Donations are tax deductible in the U.S. (EIN: 35-2882867).

What Our Donors Say
Harriet
Bath UK
A podcast on wild Venus flytraps being dug up for sale kept me listening to the end. I gave to the seed bank through the website and printed the receipt for my files.
Philippa
Bend, Oregon
I had read that the ghost orchid sets very little seed in the wild. After checking the FAQ I made a gift in the app and the receipt was waiting in my inbox.
Kanya
Vallejo, California
A coworker sent me an article about the Franciscan manzanita surviving as a single wild plant. I donated on my lunch break and read the town in my account within 72 hours.
Dimas
Delft Netherlands
Running buffalo clover came up in a newsletter I get about native plants. I sent a gift from the app. Later I opened it to check which task my donation went to.
Rowan
Sligo Ireland
I gave to the Kaliforniya Norte appeal earlier this month. Reading about the green pitcher plant afterwards pointed me toward the seed bank. I donated again.
Kwame
Croydon UK
The western lily grows in very few coastal bogs and that stuck with me after a radio piece. I supported the seed bank the same evening. The receipt came straight away.
Amy and 29 people donated
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Bank the seed before the fire

Your gift sends a botanist to collect seed from rare wild plants before fire reaches them. Each lot is cleaned and dried and tested and then frozen. The town and the task reach you within 72 hours.

The Botanist Reads the Slope
An expert botanist finds the plants of a rare species that still set seed. Collecting waits for the week the seed ripens.
87,000 families reached
Cleaned Tested Frozen
Seeds are cleaned of husk and dried. A germination test checks they are alive. Then they go into storage at minus 18 degrees Celsius.
48 countries active
Our Own Team in California
In California our own field team travels with the botanist. In South Africa and Australia our team works beside a local field partner.
350,000 lives touched
Town and Task in 72 Hours
Your receipt arrives the moment you give. Within 72 hours your account names the town where the botanist worked and the step your gift supported.
280,000 meals delivered
Bank a rare seed →
87,000 Families
Directly Reached
48 Countries
Active on Ground
350,000 Lives
Touched

Reach Out Any Time

Questions? Fill the form and we'll respond within 72 hours.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this donation

1Which charities run seed banks for rare plants?

Quenara Foundation funds botanists who bank the seed of threatened wild plants ahead of fire season and keep it frozen. Collecting happens only with permits and our staff never work alone.

2What does a Rare Plant Seed Bank gift fund?

Thanks for asking. Your gift funds the collecting of seed from rare wild plants. It also covers cleaning and drying that seed and testing it before frozen storage.

3Who decides which species to collect?

Good question. An expert botanist chooses the species and the slope. Rare wild plants under threat from fire and drought come first.

4Does your team handle the plants?

Thank you for checking. Our team never handles plants on its own and never enters closed or unsafe areas. It funds the trip and works beside the botanist.

5Who gives permission to collect?

Site access and permits rest with the protected area's authorized team. Collecting only happens where they allow it.

6How cold is the storage?

Once the seed is dry and has passed its test it is frozen at minus 18 degrees Celsius and kept in the bank.

7Can every rare plant be banked?

We appreciate the question. Some species cannot be stored as seed. The botanist picks species whose seed copes with drying and freezing.

8Will the seeds be planted out?

The collection is a safeguard first. Seedling trials are run when needed. This appeal does not plant trees or saplings.

9Will I receive seeds or a certificate?

Kind of you to ask. The seeds stay in the bank. You receive a receipt straight away and within 72 hours the town and the task your gift supported.

10Is garden or crop seed included?

Glad to clear that up. This appeal covers rare wild plants only. Garden and farm seed fall outside it.

11Where does this work happen?

In California our own field team joins the botanist. In South Africa and Australia our team works beside a local field partner.

12Do you collect in burned areas?

Thank you for raising it. Collecting happens before fire season or on safe ground. Closed fire zones are never entered.

13Where can I give?

Please give at quenarafoundation.com or in the Quenara app. We do not accept gifts anywhere else.

14Who can I contact if I have a question?

We are happy to help. Write to us through the contact page on the site or the support section of the Quenara app.

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