Atlanta seniors work to save vulnerable plant

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) - A.G. Rhodes Senior Rehabilitation Services Director Kirk Hines says, “it’s part of being human that you want to contribute.”

Seniors volunteer to save "Schisandra glabra"(WGCL)

Many seniors who live in the home are doing just that through a horticultural therapy program. Seniors in the program are helping to conserve the American star-vine, a vulnerable plant native to the southeastern United States and northern Mexico. Flowers in its genus are normally found in Asia; the star-vine, scientific name Schisandra glabra, is the only species of star-vine found in North America.

Despite its massive range from Tennessee to the Atlantic, glabra is considered a vulnerable species. it has appeared in fewer in 30 locations around the world and has lost much of its range to invasive species,

Seniors in the therapy program are potting, labeling and organizing nearly 100 specimens. Hines stressed that the residents keeping their fine and gross motor skills sharp while also indulging in a leisure activity and meeting other residents at the home.