A brief history of conservation at the Royal Botanic Gardens,Kew

When Princess Augusta and Lord Bute, followed by Sir Joseph Banks and King George III, started gathering plants at Kew, conservation on the site can be said to have begun. Although the primary motive then was to assist the expansion of the British Empire and trade, rare plants were gathered and some became rare or extinct in the wild as their habitats were destroyed. The primary motive in the nineteenth century was not conservation, but the history of conservation at the Royal Gardens at Kew dates back to its very origins. Subsequent regimes at Kew maintained and added to the collections thereby adding to their conservation value. Many early collections are of species now listed within the IUCN categories of endangerment. Environmental awareness and concern had begun by the time that Professor Jack Heslop-Harrison became director and he was the first director actively to initiate specific conservation programmes such as seed banking and work on red data books. From then on conservation became an integral part of the work programme of Kew and the focus on conservation has increased with each subsequent director. This eventually led to the transformation of the embryonic seed banking activities into the Millennium Seed Bank, the largest and most important bank in the world for the conservation of the seeds of wild species. It currently holds just over ten percent of all seed plant species. Conservation at Kew over the past three decades has very much been a balance between ex situ work and in situ activities to help conservation in the overseas areas where Kew scientists have experience. Throughout the history of the gardens there has been a vital interest in economic botany that has developed from moving plants around the empire to much work on the sustainable use of plants and ecosystems thereby better equipping the institution to subsequently work on in situ conservation. Significant conservation activity at Kew has been possible because it is being supported by a solid research programme that includes such areas as systematics and molecular genetics and laboratories, a large herbarium and a large library. Kew has played an important role in stimulating conservation work elsewhere and such units as the Threatened Plants Unit of IUCN and Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) have their roots in Kew. Among other important conservation initiatives have been the creation of a unit to work with the implementation of the CITES treaty on the trade of endangered plants and a legal unit to work on issues of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). There is no doubt that the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew is at the forefront of plant conservation.     

THE ALPINE HOUSES OF KEW

Summary.  There has been an alpine house at Kew since 1887. The first house was a traditional design that was in use for nearly a century. Subsequent alpine houses at Kew have been more radical in their design and helped raise the profile of Kew's alpine collections. The latest, the innovative Davies Alpine House, opened in March 2006.     

640. QUERCUS CASTANEIFOLIA

Quercus castaneifolia C.A. Mey. is described and illustrated from a tree growing at Kew. Its habitat, distribution, variation in the wild and its relationships with similar species, are discussed. A summary of the history and conservation of some of the oldest trees at Kew is included.     

Botanic gardens and climate change: a review of scientific activities at the Royal Botanic Gardens,Kew

In 2009, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK) launched its Breathing Planet Programme. This 10 year programme seeks to re-align Kew’s work to develop plant-based solutions to the challenges of climate change. Further to the development of the Programme, Kew has undertaken a review of its science projects with relevance to mitigating the impacts of climate change on plant diversity and people. The review has allowed Kew to better understand its current strengths and weaknesses in this area in order to plan for the future. The findings of the review could be relevant for science programmes in other botanic gardens. Botanic gardens play a fundamental role in the conservation of biodiversity to mitigate climate change impacts. Knowledge and data on plant systematics, distribution and physiology is vital for modelling and monitoring the impacts of climate change, to help to identify plant species and habitats most at risk of losing their wild diversity. Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank Project will safeguard 25% of plant species by 2020, while in situ projects are improving the conservation of threatened habitats. One challenge is to make such activities relevant and useful to other scientists, conservation groups and policy makers working to address climate change. However, botanic gardens must also develop working practices and projects that specifically address the challenges of climate change. Kew and a global network of partners are doing this in a variety of ways, and examples will be presented in this paper.     

698. FRITILLARIA USURIENSIS

Fritillaria usuriensis Maxim. is illustrated; its cultivation in China for Chinese traditional medicine, and at Kew are described.     

675. JASMINUM MULTIPARTITUM

Jasminum multipartitum Hochst. is described and illustrated from material flowering at Kew. Its distribution is given and suggestions for its cultivation are provided.     

Alexander von Humboldt’s fungal collections at Kew

Collections of three fungal species described from Germany by Alexander von Humboldt have been rediscovered in the mycological herbarium at Kew. These collections are considered lectotypes of Boletus patella, B. venosus, and Clavaria aurea and are assigned to Postia stiptica, Physisporinus vitreus, and Calocera viscosa respectively. Humboldt’s Central & South American collections are also at Kew and a list of specimens is appended. Based on the rediscovered type collection, Favolus humboldtii is considered a synonym of Polyporus tenuiculus.     

A 2013 linear sequence of legume genera set in a phylogenetic context — A tool for collections management and taxon sampling

The Leguminosae (or Fabaceae) currently comprises 751 genera. In most of the world's herbaria the genera are arranged by old, non-phylogenetic, classification systems which, while offering insights into morphological similarity, make no explicit statement as to evolutionary relationships. While classifications based on morphology are useful tools for plant identification, they do not offer the predictive value that phylogenetically based linear sequences provide. The legume collection of c.750,000 specimens in the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew was moved to a new building between 2010 and 2011, which presented the opportunity to reorganise the collection by a linear sequence based on a number of relatively comprehensive published legume phylogenies. The numbered linear sequence adopted at Kew has been updated and emended to include generic changes that have been published up to March 2013. The linear sequence, together with an alphabetical list of genera, is presented here to serve as a management tool for future taxon sampling and herbarium curation. The process used to develop the linear sequence and to rearrange the legume collection at Kew is discussed together with plans for future dissemination of changes to the sequence as new phylogenies are published and incorporated.     

934. MORAEA RETICULATA

Moraea reticulata Goldblatt from the Eastern Cape is illustrated and the history of its discovery and present distribution are given. Its cultivation at Kew is described.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Ericas of South Africa . D. Schuman & G. Kirsten in collaboration with E.G.H. Oliver
The European Discoveiy of the Indian Flora . Ray Desmond
A century of Kew plantsmen, a celebration of the Kew Guild . Desmond, Ray & Hepper, F. Nigel     

597. TULIPA SPRENGERI

Summary.  The distinctive Tulipa sprengeri Baker (Liliaceae) is illustrated and described. Its history, classification and cultivation requirements are discussed, including the results of recent research at Kew that establishes its position within the genus.     

德国鸢尾对Cd胁迫的生理生态响应及积累特性

通过盆栽研究了Cd胁迫下德国鸢尾的生长状况、生态效应、生理特性及吸收和富集Cd的能力.结果表明:德国鸢尾对小于5 mg/kg的Cd有较强的耐性,适用于城区土壤修复;Cd浓度大于5 mg/kg时抑制德国鸢尾生长,降低了其生态效应.随着Cd浓度的增大,德国鸢尾根系活力、叶绿素含量和含水量逐渐降低,游离脯氨酸和可溶性糖含量先升高后降低,细胞膜透性逐渐升高.Cd在德国鸢尾体内分布为根系＞地上部分,随着Cd浓度的增大,德国鸢尾根系和地上部分Cd积累浓度逐渐升高、富集系数和转运系数逐渐降低;Cd浓度为20 mg/kg时德国鸢尾对Cd的积累量最大,为2.122 mg/plant.     

740. STAUNTONIA HEXAPHYLLA

Stauntonia hexaphylla (Thunb.) Decne. is described and illustrated from plants cultivated at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Its uses in Japan are discussed and the history of introduction of the species to Europe is described.     

In what situations isin vitro culture appropriate to plant conservations?

Variousin vitro techniques are available for plant propagation, including seed germination, micropropagation, meristem culture and callus culture. The role of these techniques in the conservation of endangered plants is discussed, using examples drawn from the work of the Micropropagation Unit at Kew.     

665. SINOBAMBUSA TOOTSIK

Sinobambusa tootsik (Makino) Makino ex Nakai, the Chinese Temple Bamboo, is described and illustrated from material flowering at Kew. Its distribution is given and suggestions for its cultivation are provided.     

1060. Delphinium caucasicum C.A.Mey: Ranunculaceae

Delphinium caucasicum C.A. Mey. is illustrated from plants cultivated at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Its history, nomenclature and ecology are described and instructions for its successful cultivation are given.     

SIR JOSEPH DALTON HOOKER IN THE KEW ARCHIVE

Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker was born in Halesworth, Suffolk in 1917. The second son of Sir William Jackson Hooker, Joseph Hooker would, throughout the course of his life, become one of the most famous and lauded scientists of his day. At its pinnacle, Joseph Hooker's career would see him hold the post of Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew for 20 years (1865–1885), and be the first botanist after Joseph Banks to be elected President of the Royal Society between 1873 and 1878. His archives and letters, which are described here, are held in the Library, Art and Archives at Kew.     

The contribution of the Millennium Seed Bank Project to <Emphasis Type="Italic">ex situ</Emphasis> plant conservation in Chile

For a long time in situ conservation has been the main approach used to protect Chilean plant diversity. However, due to the high level of endemism of its flora (50%) and an increasing human impact on wild areas, ex situ conservation has become an urgent requirement to avoid the extinction of plant populations and species. Since 2001, the Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA), Chile, has been working in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, (Kew) through the Millennium Seed Bank Project (MSB) with the objective of conserving 20% of the Chilean flora as seeds in long-term storage. This seed conservation effort has focussed mainly on the endangered and endemic plants of the Chilean drylands. Towards the end of the first phase of the MSB some 1482 seed collections representing 850 species and subspecies have been collected and safely preserved in the INIA Seed Base Bank and duplicated at Kew. Almost 70% of the total species collected are endemic to Chile and several of them are endangered. Additionally, seed germination research has been conducted for nearly 400 species and seed collections have been used to propagate several threatened species. Germination protocols have been published and disseminated online. Over 4,500 herbarium vouchers have been collected, largely duplicated at Kew and at the national herbarium in Chile. As a result of the inputs of INIA and the MSB, collaboration has been extended to other national stakeholders, mainly for plant taxonomy and seed collecting. In this context two training courses have been run for 70 staff/students. This training has contributed to the raising of general awareness of the need for the long-term protection of Chilean plant diversity and to demonstrate the key role that ex situ seed conservation can play in meeting this need.