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Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

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United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Date of Inscription: 2003
Criteria: (ii)(iii)(iv)
Core zone: 132 ha
Buffer zone: 350 ha
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest Greater London
N51 28 55.0 W0 17 38.5
Ref: 1084

NHK World Heritage 100 Series

Narration Text

Kew’s Botanic Gardens are in southwest London. There are six greenhouses on a 120hectare site, which is home to one of world’s most extraordinary collections of plants. The Gardens at Kew began life in 1751 as a royal garden. A huge variety of plant species has been collected from around the world since.

The greenhouses here house some of the world’s rarest plant species. This specimen of cycad is called Encephalartos altensteinii. It was brought back to Britain from South Africa and has been growing here for more than 220 years. It is said to be the world’s oldest potted plant. There are more than 40,000 different species of plant here from the Arctic right down to South Africa and South East Asia.

The British Empire stretched across the globe and expert plant collectors, or ‘plant hunters’, explored every corner. Francis Masson was the first plant hunter. He explored Africa and discovered species never previously seen in Britain, such as the geranium. He also brought back this species - a Bird of Paradise Flower. Plant collection by plant hunters became a key part of the national interest. Calisaya, for example, is a plant originally from the Andes. With its discovery, the British were able to produce quinine, a drug to treat Malaria.

Kew’s role has changed with the times. Technology is now a part of every day operations. Great care is taken to cultivate rare and precious plant species by recreating the plants original habitat in each greenhouse. Many species of plants are increasingly under threat of extinction. The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew play an active role in preserving the planet’s rapidly disappearing plant heritage.