We don't often think of plants being endangered in the same way that we do animals - there aren't plant poachers out there, right? Well, kind of, yeah, there are. Plants become endangered for the same reasons that animals do. There is habitat loss, both through direct methods such as deforestation, as well as indirectly, through climate change. There are invasive species - both other plants, which can out-compete them for resources in their natural habitat, as well as animals which may eat those plants. Humans can over-exploit and over-collect plants, whether for financial purposes or for collections and hobbies.
An endangered plant nursery at Lauritzen Gardens Botanical Park in Omaha, Nebraska
Just as many zoos have evolved from collections of curiosities to conservation centers, so have botanical gardens begun to evolve. Whereas they used to be places to go look at the pretty flowers, now they often serve as research and conservation hubs for endangered plants. The video below from Botanic Gardens Conservation International says it better than I can:
Endangered plants are delicate, and probably best left under the care of specialized scientists rather than tossed as a side project to the zoo (just as rare birds or reptiles would probably thrive best under the care of zookeepers rather than under the well-meaning but less-experienced eyes of horticulturalists). Still, zoos can support botanical gardens by highlighting endangered plants, cross-promoting with botanical gardens, and reminding visitors that saving endangered animals often means having to save endangered plants as well.
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