Abstract :
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew hold the largest and most diverse collection of living plants and the most comprehensive research collection of preserved plant material in the world. Tender woody species are mainly grown in the Palm House whilst tender herbaceous plants are displayed in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. Most of the hardy trees and shrubs are arranged according to the Bentham and Hookerʹs system of classification, although mixed decorative groupings of trees can be seen at the northern end of the Gardens. Kew Herbarium contains a reference collection of over 6 million specimens of dried plants and fungi - the most comprehensive in the world. Kew also has one of the worldʹs foremost botanical libraries, containing over 1,20,000 books as well as journals, papers and illustrations, and an extensive archive. Scientists in the Jodrell Laboratory study plant structure, biochemistry and genetics and other internal characteristics of plants.
