• Home
• Science Strategy
• Science Teams
• Projects
  • Anatomical Identification of Plant Material
• People
• Publications
• Acronyms

Anatomical Identification of Plant Material

A sandal from Ancient Egypt made from palm leaves.

The Anatomy microscope slide collection consists of stained sections of plant material permanently mounted onto microscope slides and stored in fire-resistant cabinets in the Jodrell Laboratory. With over 100,000 slides covering a range of different plant parts (especially wood, stems, roots, leaves, barks and medicinal plants), it is the largest collection of its type in existence. Many of the earlier slides were prepared for the two volumes of Anatomy of the Dicotyledons (first edition published 1950, Oxford University Press). Subsequent slides are still actively being prepared for the ongoing book series Anatomy of the Monocotyledons, the current revision of Anatomy of the Dicotyledons, and other research projects. The collection is regularly used by staff, students and visitors, both for purposes of systematic research and for identification of plant fragments. It forms an important resource underpinning research at Kew, and is currently being databased by volunteers.

The existence of this collection allows us to: 1) identify fragmentary plant material; 2) train other interested parties to do so; 3) develop new tools for anatomical identification (e.g. InsideWood); and 4) use identification as a research tool (e.g. CITES-listed timbers).

Using the microscope slide collection as a basis, we identify fragmentary plant material, including wood, foreign plant matter in food, fragments of medicinal and poisonous plants, archaeological plant remains, crude drugs and forensic samples. A wide range of customers seeking plant identifications includes archaeologists, historians, medical practitioners, police, HM Revenue and Customs, antique dealers, furniture restorers and members of the public. We provide this identification service for a fee, and the income is used to help carry out research such as the CITES timber project. In January 2006 we launched an annual one-week course at Kew on wood identification, with Peter Gasson and Rowena Gale as tutors.

Peter Gasson is collaborating on an interactive wood identification database (Inside Wood) with Dr Elisabeth Wheeler and her library colleagues at North Carolina State University, which provides anatomical descriptions and photomicrographs of hardwoods worldwide, and has already become an essential resource for wood identification and systematic and phylogenetic studies of wood characters since its launch in 2004.

Kew Home | Science Directory | Copyright & Privacy