Last updated: 22 November 2022
| PlantNetwork member | |
| Address and contact details | |
| Kew, Richmond, London, TW9 3AB | |
| Tel: 0181 332 5000 | |
| Fax: 0181 3325197 | |
| Email: postmaster@rbgkew.org.uk | |
| Web site: www.rbgkew.org.uk | |
| Latitude: 51° 29' 01" N | |
| Longitude: 00° 17' 20" W | |
| Background to the collection | |
| Year founded: | 1759 |
| Ownership: | Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew |
| Garden code: | K |
| Umbrella organisation: | PlantNetwork, English Heritage, National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens |
| Personnel | |
| Director: | Professor Stephen D. Hopper |
| Curator: | Nigel Taylor |
| Contact person: | Nigel Taylor |
| Total Staff: | 580 |
| Policies | |
| Accessions: | Yes, apply to Curator |
| Collections: | Yes, apply to Curator |
| Physical environment | |
| Altitude: | 6 m |
| Soil type: | Sand, acid |
| Aspect: | Mostly flat |
| Total area: | 130 ha |
| Area heated: | 30 000 m² |
| Other sites of collection: | Wakehurst Place
Castle Howard Arboretum |
| Weather records | Records kept |
| Temperature | |
| Average daily: | 10.8 °C |
| Av. monthly max: | 15.04 °C |
| Av. monthly min: | 6.6 °C |
| Absolute maximum: | 36.2 °C |
| Absolute minimum: | -10.9 °C |
| Wind | |
| Direction: | West |
| Strength: | Below average |
| Rainfall | |
| Average annual: | 605 mm |
| Month of maximum: | June |
| Month of minimum: | September |
| Plant collection | |
| Families: | 364 |
| Genera: | 4141 |
| Species: | 11557 |
| Taxa: | 28689 |
| Accessions: | 57049 |
| Plants: | 108 663 |
| Notable plants within the collection: | |
| Includes champion trees, old historic specimens, plants of conservation status | |
| Special families within the collections: | |
| Alliaceae, Aloaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Araceae, Bromeliaceae, Cactaceae, Compositae, Ericaceae, Gramineae, Iridaceae, Labiatae, Leguminosae, Liliaceae, Oleaceae, Orchidaceae, Palmae, Pinaceae, Saxifragaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Ranunculaceae, Rosaceae | |
| Special collections: | |
| The whole collection is a national collection. | |
| Record Keeping: | Kept since 1840 Computerised since 1968 |
| Record System: | unknown |
| Plant-collecting trips: | International and national |
| Facilities on site | |
| Herbarium: | Approximately 7 000 000 specimens, including 250 000 types, 200 000 cultivated 80 000 and 80 000 artefacts of plant and fungal origin. Code K in Index Herbariorum |
| Library: | Over 7000 000 items, including 10 000 maps, 10 000 microforms, 175 000 illustrations, 250 000 letters, 500 portraits, 125 000 monographs, 150 000 pamphlets. No public access |
| Research facilities: | General biological laboratories, micropropagation, cryopreservation, subcellular microscopy, seed banking (at Wakehurst Place) and molecular |
| Publications: | Garden catalogue, Kew Scientist and many more. List of publications available |
| Identifications: | Undertakes free identifications for the general public. Internal verification of material |
| Teaching and Education: | Primary, secondary, higher, taxonomic, public education, special courses |
| Interpretation: | Supervised garden walks, signs, brochures, guided trails |
| Friends Organisation: | Yes |
| Visitor facilities: | Restaurant, café, plant shop, gift shop |
| Access to the collections | |
| Public access: | Admission charge |
| Visitors per year: | 1,000,000 |
| Public opening hours: | Mon-Sun: 9.30am to 4-7.30pm in summer |
| Guiding principles behind the collection | |
| The mission of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew is to enable better management of the Earth's environment by increasing knowledge and understanding of the plant kingdom - the basis of life on Earth. Numbers for the whole of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, including Wakehurst Place: – Families: 555. – Genera: 4875. – Species: 13 808. – Taxa: 33 748. – Accessions: 72 254. – Plants: 148 008 | |
| Location map | |
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