RBG Kew can be considered unique among botanic gardens and museums because of its size, history and scope. It is an international visitor attraction and a world-acclaimed scientific institution holding the world's largest collections of plants and fungi, living and preserved, and major databases of plant biodiversity data. RBG Kew's primary focus is science-based conservation to enhance the quality of life. This involves an ongoing mix of basic and applied science, mostly focused on collections and associated databases. The breadth of RBG Kew's plant collections is matched by the scope of its international partnerships and unparalleded access to plant science expertise around the globe. RBG Kew conducts research into many seemingly "blue skies" areas but differs in the applications of the data produced by such enquiries to problems in managing effective conservation programmes in the field and restoring and/or repairing sites damaged by human activity and climate change. This is the basis for our claim to be a "science-based conservation organisation working on the world stage".

DNA & Tissue Bank

The DNA bank at Kew is the largest of its kind in the world, with more than 40,000 accessions of plant genomic DNA, representing about 32,500 species of vascular plants, almost 6,000 genera and most families. Because the bank reflects the different projects that were conducted in the lab since its establishment, the orchid collection is particularly well represented with more than 5,500 species, about a quarter of all orchid species known to science. The main sources of new DNA samples routinely included in the bank come from projects either lead by Kew scientists or undertaken by visiting researchers in collaboration with Kew staff.
Kew

Collection Size

40000 Genomic DNA extracts, 1500 Silica-gel dried tissues

Collection Coverage

Curation details

Institution Codes