Friends of the Desert Legume Program

Friends of the Desert Legume Program Sharing news and information about Friends of DELEP - a group that plays an important role in conserving legume biodiversity. Fish and Wildlife Service.

History
The Desert Legume Program (DELEP) was established in 1988 as a joint project of the University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. DELEP plays an important role in conserving legume biodiversity. Maintaining biological diversity is a growing concern worldwide as human populations increase and more natural areas are diverted for human use.

As development of natural lands continues, it is inevitable that many species may be lost without conservation efforts. Collecting and maintaining seed germplasm is one of the most basic and most important means of preserving species in the face of habitat loss. Legumes are the most important group of plants in human nutrition after the cereal grains. Many species of legumes have the ability to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form, a process termed nitrogen fixation. Legumes are utilized in many ways including food crops, forage crops, forestry, sources of medicines and as landscape plants. Collection
DELEP has developed a valuable collection of wild legume species from the southwestern United States and around the world. As of June 2014 this collection included 1374 species totaling 3686 individual collections originating from 64 countries. DELEP’s effort to collect and maintain seeds of wild legume species is unique. The USDA-ARS National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) acknowledges this and maintains a back-up collection of DELEP’s seeds at their seed storage facility in Fort Collins, Colorado. DELEP also has a portion of its collection stored at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, in the Norwegian Arctic. DELEP serves citizens, businesses and government agencies in Arizona and around the world by providing seeds, plants and information. DELEP supports researchers at the University of Arizona, participates in collections development at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, and has collaborated with the Arizona State Land Department and the U.S. Facilities
DELEP maintains three field evaluation sites at the UA Campus Agricultural Center in Tucson. Since the first plantings in 1989, over 600 species have been evaluated in these fields. Plants are evaluated for adaptability to local climate conditions and individual characteristics are noted. These fields enable DELEP personnel to evaluate the growth of legumes over a long period of time. Through DELEP, over a dozen landscape plants have been introduced into the landscape nursery trade in Arizona. These fields provide a source of additional seeds for the seed bank as well as seeds and plant material for research.

May Meet UpTuesday May 12 at 10:00 at the Woods LibraryChris is going to wow us with something!Senna lindheimerii
05/07/2026

May Meet Up
Tuesday May 12 at 10:00 at the Woods Library

Chris is going to wow us with something!

Senna lindheimerii

05/04/2026

The Mission Garden store has lots of great gifts for Mother's Day, including soaps, books, and salves! We also are finding new ways to share produce from the garden, including dried herbs and seasoning mixes.

"The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly." That's the topic for the presentation at our next DELEP volunteers get together on T...
04/11/2026

"The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly." That's the topic for the presentation at our next DELEP volunteers get together on Tuesday April 14 at the Woods Memorial Library. 10 am. See you there!

A desert legume is mentioned this week!
03/25/2026

A desert legume is mentioned this week!

Plants of the Holy Land that can be grown here in the Southwest is a topic that has long fascinated me. Now is a time to consider some.

03/20/2026
Sat 21 MarchPlant Sale....... and. . . . . . . Book Sale . . . . . and . . . . .Petting Zoo . . . . and . . . Lo...
03/20/2026

Sat 21 March
Plant Sale....... and. . . . . . . Book Sale . . . . . and . . . . .Petting Zoo . . . . and . . . Local Honey
Locally grown plants & seeds -vegetables/herbs/flowers/native plants/house plants/more
Organic compost, fertilizers & garden supplies
Gardening & composting advice

FREE admission = = = AMPLE parking
Tucson Organic Gardeners Spring Garden Fair

Saturday, March 21, 2026
8:30 am – 1:30 pm => come early!
Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind – 1200 W. Speedway Blvd
Please Note - no dogs allowed.
Free admission.

reminder
03/08/2026

reminder

Saturday, March 21, 2026 - Note no dogs allowed. 8:30 am - 1:30 pm Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind - 1200 W. Speedway Blvd Free admission. Locally grown plants & seeds -vegetables/herbs/flowers/native plants Organic compost, fertilizers & garden supplies Gardening & composting advice Pro...

Meeting next week- Tuesday 10 March at 10 at the Woods Library on First avenueChris Marshall is going to show us some of...
03/07/2026

Meeting next week- Tuesday 10 March at 10 at the Woods Library on First avenue

Chris Marshall is going to show us some of the Succulents of the Gulf of California area.

Also, if you knew Jean, please mark your calendar for her memorial service on Saturday 28 March.

Lupine for "photo tax" as I want to remind everyone of our get together:Tuesday 10 February, 10:00 am at the Woods Libra...
02/05/2026

Lupine for "photo tax" as I want to remind everyone of our get together:

Tuesday 10 February, 10:00 am at the Woods Library.

Topic will be a surprise because the planned powerpoint on "Plant Collecting in Persia" is lost in the metaphorical digital belly of the beast. It may resurface on an old DVD disc that was once used to save files in the "old days" before thumb drives. But it may not......

Hope to see you Saturday!
01/31/2026

Hope to see you Saturday!

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Tucson, AZ

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