Kew's iconic plants
From ancient trees and the world's oldest pot plant to the famous - and foul-smelling - titan arum, Kew's flagship plants flourish under the care of its horticulturists. Come and visit them today...
Lucombe oak
This hybrid oak was originally planted 20 m north of its current location, but in 1846 – when it was already a large, 73 year old tree – it was moved to make way for the creation of Syon Vista, one of the avenues radiating out from the Palm House.
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Maidenhair tree
The maidenhair tree has been around since the days of the dinosaurs, and trees growing just 1-2 km from the atom bomb blast at Hiroshima in 1945 were among the few living things to survive.
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Monkey puzzle
Archibald Menzies, a botanist and naval surgeon, brought the first five monkey puzzle saplings to the UK in 1795. Chile declared the monkey puzzle tree a national monument in 1990.
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North American tulip tree
The Native Americans of the Appalachian Mountains used trunks of this tree to make dugout canoes – massive logs were hollowed out and could carry up to 20 people at a time.
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Oriental plane
The oriental plane had arrived in England by 1562. It was reported that the finest specimen known belonged to Bishop Gunning at Ely in 1764.
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Pagoda tree
This tree is infamous in Chinese culture; in folklore demons are said to be drawn to it. The last Ming Emporer, Chongzhen, hung himself from a pagoda tree after peasants stormed the Forbidden City in 1644.
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Stone pine
Stone pines produce the European type of pine nuts used in pesto – millions of kilograms are harvested every year in the Mediterranean. Unfortunately it is usually too cold in the UK for our trees to ripen seeds, so we have no pine nut harvest.
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Sweet chestnut
The sweet chestnut was probably brought to the UK by the Romans. For centuries since it has been much loved for its tasty seeds. They have been used to make flour, a roasted winter snack, porridge, marron glacés, a wartime coffee substitute, turkey stuffing, and a fine Corsican beer.
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Titan arum
One of the most spectacular plants to be found in the wet tropics zone of the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew Gardens is the titan arum.
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Turner's oak
This deep-rooted tree survived the great storm of 1987. It was partially uprooted by the winds, but gained new vigour afterwards – leading Kew’s staff to a new tree-care discovery.
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