Kew Gardens: Botany and the British empire

For centuries, Kew Gardens was the flash point for a lesser known British imperial project – the collection of plants from colonised nations for political and commercial gain. Author and journalist Rosie Kinchen finds out about the work Kew is doing today to examine this, and looks into how the institution is supporting botanical science and conservation around the globe. Rosie speaks to curatorial and scientific staff at Kew, as well as taking a wider view on the role of plants in colonial history.

Contributors: Prof Alex Antonelli, Kew director of science; Dr Caroline Cornish, humanities research co-ordinator at Kew; Dr Diego Molina, environmental historian at Kew and Royal Holloway; Shiloh Maples of the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance.

Producer: Sam Peach

(Photo: Botanical artist Lucy Smith examines the leaves of a new species of giant waterlily, Victoria boliviana, at Royal Botanic Gardens, in Kew, Richmond, Surrey. Credit: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)