Did you know that the Chicago Botanic Garden is part of the Plant Rescue Center Program? Established by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 1978, the program facilitates the rescue of endangered species confiscated from illicit trading. The Plant Rescue Center (PRC) Program has over 90 sites in the U.S., with the Chicago Botanic Garden serving as one since 2001.
Ariocarpus fissuratus in full bloom. Photo by Marie Dillon.
Among the rescued species in the Garden’s collection is Ariocarpus fissuratus. It is also known as Living Rock Cactus or False Peyote in English, peyotillo in Spanish, and sunami amongst the Rarámuri, one of the several indigenous groups for whom A. fissuratus is tied to their traditions and way of life. A. fissuratus is endangered in its native habitat. It is native to nearly 13 states in Northern and Central Mexico (POWO, 2025), as well as Southwest Texas, making its protection a priority that extends beyond borders.
Gabriela Rocha Alvarez and some of the A. fissuratus currently maintained by the Chicago Botanic Garden. Photo by Robin Carlson.
A shipment of A. fissuratus was brought to the Garden in 2019 after being intercepted in transit at O’Hare International Airport, and now, Gabriella Rocha, the Plant Recorder at the Chicago Botanic Garden, is leading the effort to rematriate the plants to the regions they are native to. By facilitating collaboration between the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix Arizona, and the Autonomous University of Querétaro in Querétaro, Mexico, her work has laid the foundation for A. fissuratus to be returned to the Querétaro region, as “a symbolic gesture of goodwill” and “the beginnings of reparations” (Rocha Alvarez, 2024) for the many rescued plants still kept at our living musem, the Chicago Botanic Garden.
"Plants are a part of identity... when you take it, you're also taking from the community." - Gabriela Rocha Alvarez
This effort has been years in the making, marked by legal and social obstacles along the way. However, the effort to rematriate A. fissuratus is only the beginning of what Rocha hopes can one day become common practice, facilitated by an international network of gardens, universities, and other institutions working with the U.S. Rescue Centers to rematriate recovered plants. She also hopes this can also be a step forward for re-imagining the role of botanic gardens in protecting the biocultural as well as ecological relationships of plants to their ecosystems.
This binational collaboration is an achievement for the protection of biodiversity and natural heritage alike, and raises the bioethical question: as the nation with the highest imports of endangered plant species from Mexico in the illicit plant trade (95%) (Rocha Alvarez, 2024), what are we doing to preserve the cultural history of plants and ancestral ecosystems of Mexican pueblos originarios?
This Hispanic Heritage Month, we encourage you to learn about how collaborations across borders are enriching the lives of rare plants and people alike. For more information on the effort to rematriate Ariocarpus fissuratus, or about some of our other incredible Hispanic and Latine scientists at the Garden, be sure to check out the resources below!
Written by Madeleine Bagnall. Edited by Gretel Kiefer, Dr. Hector Ortíz, and Gabriela Rocha Álvarez.