Francis Rose Reserve

Opened in 2003, the Francis Rose Reserve covers 25 hectares and stretches from the Himalayan Glade to Tilgate Wood, which lies just inside of the Loder Valley Nature Reserve.

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Francis Rose Reserve

Francis Rose Reserve

The Reserve is named after the renowned botanist Francis Rose, an expert in Wealden flora who pioneered the study of mosses, lichens, liverworts and filmy ferns. These little-known plants, collectively known as cryptogams, thrive on the sandstone outcrops of the Sussex High Weald. With many species becoming increasingly rare, the Reserve is dedicated to conserving them.

About cryptogams

Cryptogams are non-vascular organisms (i.e. they have no fluid-conducting tissues) that produce spores rather than seeds. They range from single-celled algae through to very large and complex colonies of lichens and fungi that may stretch over metres or hectares. They grow on the surface of sandstone and use the rock’s water-absorbing qualities to stop them drying out. Cryptogams usually found in the mild climate of Britain’s west coast also grow in the High Weald.

One of the rarest species found at Wakehurst Place is the Tunbridge filmy fern (Hymenophyllum tunbrigense). The Francis Rose Reserve is one of only 12 locations in the High Weald where it survives . Another rarity is the slender thread-moss Orthodontum gracile, which grows as bright green cushions around one centimetre tall. It is considered to be critically endangered in Britain. Experts at Kew are working to cultivate this and other fragile species in the laboratory, then reintroduce them to the safe haven of rocks in the Francis Rose Reserve.

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Your Kew

We invite photographers to capture the sights at Kew and Wakehurst. These images are a selection of images submitted by photographers from around the world. We hope you enjoy them. You can see more on Flickr.

Fact Box


Musa itinerans in natural habitat

Musa itinerans
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