Images Dated 2015

Tamarindus indica, tamarind

Hand painted copy of an illustration of tamarind, commissioned by William Roxburgh. In his Flora Indica, Roxburgh describes this species as a magnificent tree, one of the largest in India. It generally flowers in May and ripens its fruit during the cold season. Roxburgh also reports an extract of a letter of Captain Pringle at Lucknow, where the qualities and the uses of various parts of this plant are explained. Other names: Tintri, Tintiree (Sanskrit); Tintiree, Tintil, Tentool (Bengali); Umli, Amli (Hindi); Chinta-chittoo (Telugu)

© The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, 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, joined by a further thirteen in 1941. The women referred to their unifrom of apron and clogs as battledress'. The clogs were wooden soled shoes with leather uppers. One of the women, Jean Thompson told colleague Betty Cooper: "My most vivid impression was the difficulty I had balancing on the rocks in my clogs."

© RBG KEW

Joseph Reardon pictured during service in WWI

Joseph Reardon joined the staff as a gardener in July 1914, having trained at Tully Nurseries, Kildare. He attended Kew's "Mutual improvement Society" scoring the highest numbers in Economic Botany and in October 1914 lectured on Alpines in ireland for the same course. In October 1915 he left to become an Assistant at Cambridge Botanic Gardens, Massachusetts, where he was appointed Curator four years later. He is portrayed here during his wartime naval service

© RBG KEW