Kew Gardens Collection

The Rhododendron Dell, Kew Gardens
19th century photograph of The Rhododendron Dell, Kew Gardens. Originally Capability Browns " Hollow Walk" it was created in 1773 and planted with rhododendrons in 1850

Livistona chinensis, ca 18th century
Watercolour of Livistona chinensis, commonly known as Chinese fan or fountain palm, by unknown Asian artist, Company Art, Kew Collection, 18th century

An exact plan of the Royal Palace Gardens and Park at Richmond, 1754
Engraving representing An exact plan of of the Royal Palace Gardens and Park at Richmond with Sion House on the opposite side o the River Thames

Portrait of William Townsend Aiton (1766 - 1849)
Lithograph portrait of William Townsend Aiton

Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) at Wakehurst, RBG Kew
The frozen vaults of the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) at Wakehurst, RBG Kew

Cochineal beetle harvest, by Eadweard Muybridge
Dactylopius coccus, cochineal beetles being harvested from Opuntia cacti, Antigua, West Indies, for the production of carminic acid used in the carmine dye, cochineal

Seedlings of Cinchona succirubra, India, 1861
Seedlings of Cinchona succirubra, photographed on arrival in Ootacamund, southern India, 9 April 1861. Collected by Richard Spruce in Ecuador, the plants were received by WIlliam McIvor

Henry Ridley and rubber tree, Singapore
Extension of original cutting on an old Para rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis - Henry Ridley ( Rubber Ridley ) and rubber tree, tapped for latex

Foliage, Flowers, and Seed-vessels of a rare West Australian Shrub, 1880
Foliage, Flowers, and Seed-vessels of a rare West Australian Shrub by Marianne North, 1880. Painting number 751

Iris bulbosa latifolia, 1757
Gouache painting on vellum of Iris latifolia with a moth by Georg Dionysius Ehret (1708-1770), signed and dated 1757. The painting is from the Tankerville Collection, purchased 1934

Millennium Seed Bank, (MSB)
Entrance to the Seed Bank Vault, Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst site, RBG Kew

Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) at Wakehurst, RBG Kew
Staff wearing protective clothing in the frozen vaults of the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) at Wakehurst, RBG Kew

Dracula chimaera (Vampire orchid), 1882-1897
Illustration of Dracula chimaera by John Nugent Fitch from The Orchid Album, Comprising Coloured Figures and Descriptions of New, Rare, and Beautiful Orchidaceous Plants, 1882- 1897; t. 203

Richard Spruce (1817-1893) botanist and plant collector who was commissioned by William Hooker to transfer the cinchona (quinine) industry from South America to India

Rhododendron Dalhousiae (frontispiece), 1849
Frontispiece of a Rhododendron dalhousieae Hook. f. in its native locality, 1849

The Treetop Walkway, RBG Kew
The Treetop Walkway in the Arboretum, RBG Kew

Women gardeners put on their clogs ready for work, World War II
Women gardeners were employed at Kew during World War II, after an interval of nearly a quarter of a century. Fourteen women were enrolled onto the staff in 1940

Temperate House
The Temperate House in winter

Acer opalus
Italian maple

Elaeagnus angustifolia var elliptica
Russian olive

Portrait of Sir William Jackson Hooker (1785-1865)
Sir William Jackson Hooker (1785-1865). Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 1841-1865. Photographic print on paper

Allium sphaerocephalon, 1794
Illustration of Allium sphaerocephalon, commonly known as ornamental onion. Hand-coloured lithograph on paper by Sydenham Edwards, 1794. Artwork from Curtiss Botanical Magazine, volume 7, plate 251

Allium giganteum, 1885
Hand-coloured lithograph on paper by Matilda Smith, 1885. Artwork from Curtiss Botanical Magazine, volume 111, plate 6828

Vaults at the Millennium Seed Bank
Photo of Seed Collections staff in the vaults at the Millennium Seed Bank, Wakehurst, 2009. The Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) is a growing collection of seeds from around the world

Dendrobium kingianum, 1834-1849
Illustration of Dendrobium kingianum engraved by Samuel Holden from Magazine of Botany and Register of Flowering Plants by Joseph Paxton, vol 12, 1834-1849

Cypripedium reginae (Showy orchid), 1876
Watercolour illustration of Cypripedium reginae (Showy orchid) by John Day, 12 June 1876. Artwork from John Days Scrapbook, volume 19, page 57

Kews women gardeners, November 1916, during World War I. During the war womens roles at Kew continued to grow. Back row (l-r) K W Harper, I L Lines, H A Rowan, M I Yeo, N J Watson, E M HArper

Garden visitors inspect the Demonstration Plot at RBG Kew, during WWII
Garden visitors inspect the vegetables in the Demonstration Plot, Kew Gardens, during World War II. Visitor numbers increased between 1941

Richard Spruce (1817-1893) botanist, explorer, plant collector

Coelogyne cristata, 1877
Watercolour illustration of Coelogyne cristata by John Day, 19 January 1877. Artwork from John Days Scrapbook, volume 20, page 69

Vegetables growing in the Demonstration Plot, RBG Kew, WWII
Vegetables growing in the Demonstration Plot, RBG Kew, during World War II. The Model Allotment Plan initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture was designed to provide a household of five people with a

Vanilla planifolia, 1805-1846
Illustration of Vanilla planifolia from Getreue Darstellung und Beschreibung Der in Der Arzneykunde Gebr├ñuchlichen Gew├ñchse : Wie Auch Aolcher, Welche mit Inhen Verwechselt Werden K├Ânnen

The Pagoda at Kew
The 163 foot high Pagoda over looks the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It is the most important surviving architectural element of William Chambers designs

Crinum x powellii, 1890
Illustration of Crinum x powellii, commonly known as swamp lily or Powell s, illustrated by Henry George Moon, 25th January 1890

Lilium henryi, 1891
Hand-coloured lithograph on paper by Matilda Smith, 1891. Artwork from Curtiss Botanical Magazine, volume 117, plate 7177

RBG Kew expedition to Cameroon, 1995. Between 1995-2003, several RBG Kew-National Herbarium of Cameroon (HNC) teams combed the forest, supported by local conservation NGOs and Earthwatch volunteers

Fritillaria meleagris, 1880-1888
Illustration of Fritillaria meleagris, commonly known as snake s-head fritillary. Hand-coloured lithograph on paper, 1880-1888. Artwork from Flora von Deutschland (revised by Dr)

Muscari szovitsianum, 1886
Current accepted plant name is Muscari armeniacum, commonly known as grape hyacinth. Hand-coloured lithograph on paper by Matilda Smith, 1886

Zygopetalum mackayi, 1882-1897
Illustration of Zygopetalum mackayi from The Orchid Album, Comprising Coloured Figures and Descriptions of New, Rare, and Beautiful Orchidaceous Plants by Robert Warner and Benjamin Samuel Williams

Vanda coerulea (Blue vanda), 1862
Illustration of Vanda coerulea by Walter Hood Fitch, 1862. Artwork from Select Orchidaceous Plants by Robert Warner, 1862; t. 18

Rhynchostylis retusa (Foxtail orchid), 1885-1906
Illustration of Rhynchostylis retusa by Pieter de Pannemaeker. Artwork from Lindenia: Iconographie des Orchid├®es, 1885-1906; volume 15, plate 691

Psychopsis kramerianum (Butterfly orchid), 1845-1883
Illustration of Psychopsis kramerianum (Butterfly orchid), 1845-1883. Artwork from Flore des Serres et des Jardin de l Europe by Louis Van Houtte, volume 19; p. 40-41

Prosthechea cochleata (aka. Cockleshell orchid, black orchid, clamshell orchid, octopus orchid), 1802-1816
Illustration of Prosthechea cochleata by Pierre Joseph Redout├®, 1802-1816. Artwork from Les Liliac├®es, volume 6, plate 346

Phalaenopsis schilleriana, 1864
Watercolour illustration of Phalaenopsis schilleriana by John Day, 9 March 1864. Artwork from John Days Scrapbook, volume 7, page 58

Ophrys apifera (Bee orchid), 1886
Illustration of Ophrys apifera from Flora von Deutschland : Österreich und der Schweiz in Wort und Bild für Schule und Haus, 1886. Artwork from volume 1, plate 148

Cymbidium lowianum, 1882-1897
Illustration of Cymbidium lowianum from The Orchid Album, Comprising Coloured Figures and Descriptions of New, Rare, and Beautiful Orchidaceous Plants by Robert Warner, 1882-1897; t. 471

Gladiolus x byzantinus, 1805
Illustration of Gladiolus x byzantinus, commonly known as star of gladiolus or sword lily. Hand-coloured lithograph on paper by Sydenham Edwards, 1805

Gladiolus communis, 1790
Illustration of Gladiolus communis, commonly known as star of gladiolus, sword lily. Hand-coloured lithograph on paper by Sydenham Edwards, 1790

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