Islands have often evolved floras rich in unique species because of their isolation. In the Pacific islands the high rate of endemism coupled with a serious level of habitat loss means that plant ...

World Forest ID was created in 2017 by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the World Resources Institute, the United States Forestry Service, Agroisolab and the Forest Stewardship Council, bringing ...

We recommend checking opening times online before you visit and for any prebooking requirements. Be sure to bring your membership card with you to show on arrival.

Kew’s UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) team recently returned from a successful launch of the Tropical Important Plant Areas project in the British Virgin Islands. Rosemary Newton reflects on the ...

I first became really interested in plants around four years ago when I started working as a forager, picking wild food to supply to restaurants. My work introduced me to the incredible diversity of ...

Gwilym Lewis, Research Leader in Kew’s Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology department, explains how and why some plants are reclassified, and reveals the complications of renaming such an iconic ...

Joseph Hooker's first major botanical expedition was on HMS Erebus as part of Captain James Clark Ross' Antarctica expedition (1839-1843). During his life time, Joseph Hooker travelled extensively.

Unable to travel as a gentleman naturalist of independent means Hooker used his medical qualification obtained at the University of Glasgow to secure an appointment as Assistant Surgeon on HMS Erebus ...

Ever since I can remember I have been fascinated by plants, especially all things edible that come from them. And the more exotic the plant, the better! After blogging about the cashew nuts, a very ...

When hair is bleached, using chemicals like hydrogen peroxide, it breaks down the melanin. This causes the hair colour to ...

Please note: The Kew Explorer will not run between 2 and 8 November 2024, due to the install of Christmas at Kew. The Kew Explorer land train is a relaxed and gentle ...

A letter in the Directors' Correspondence archive describes how the deadly prediction of an old Chinese proverb about bamboo flowering came true. "When the bamboo flowers, famine, death and ...