A new Guinness World Records title for London: Kew Gardens is now officially home to the largest living plant collection on earth

Release date: 16 September 2021

From the longest and biggest to the smelliest and smallest, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew’s record-breaking plant collections have long been renowned for being amongst the most valuable and varied in the plant kingdom. From today, a brand-new record for the ‘largest collection of living plants at a single-site botanic garden can be added to its ever-growing mantle of international accolades. Home to an impressive 16,900 species of plants from all over the world at its 320-acre site in London, Kew’s rich treasure trove of biodiversity is officially celebrated by the world-famous Guinness World Records 2022 book as one of the world’s greatest.

This extraordinary record is just one of many Guinness World Records (GWR) titles held by the UNESCO World Heritage site, and the most significant. As well as being a stunning botanic garden, Kew is also a hub of ground-breaking science and research, using plants and fungi to present innovative answers to some of today’s biggest global challenges, including food security, clean air and biodiversity loss.

Richard Barley, Director of Horticulture and Learning at RBG Kew says,We are absolutely thrilled to hold the record for the largest living plant collection. It is a fantastic accolade, and a credit to the tireless work of our horticulturists and scientists. It also re-enforces the importance of botanic gardens around the world, as not only beautiful places to enjoy, but as essential hubs of inspiration and education, increasing awareness of the vital importance of plants to the health of our planet.

Adam Millward, Managing Editor from Guinness World Records says,It’s been a pleasure recognising some of RBG Kew’s record-breaking plants in recent years. I’ve had the (dubious) honour of smelling the pungent titan arum up close; contended with the steam and sprinklers to measure a prodigious pitcher trap; and put the giant waterlily’s robust pads to the test with a GWR certificate. Working closely with Botanic Gardens Conservation International, it’s fantastic to be able to celebrate the entire collection – surely one of the jewels of the botanical world – in the GWR 2022 book

Some of Kew’s fantastic records include:

The biggest…

The waterlilies in the Princess of Wales Conservatory are otherworldly. Grown from minute seeds each year, they can grow to a breath-taking size – once upon a time, their buoyant leaves could bear the weight of a child! The giant waterlily Victoria amazonica can grow leaves that reach a record-breaking 3m in diameter, making it the world’s largest waterlily species.

The tallest and the smelliest…

When the titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) flowers it gives off an almost impossible to stomach stench of rotting flesh that fills the glasshouse. Around since the time of the dinosaurs, this prehistoric plant can be gargantuan – so huge that in 2018 the species’ record as the world’s tallest bloom was reconfirmed by GWR at Kew. The 2018 specimen reached a whopping 3m in height and took an army of horticulturalists to lift it. The plant’s pungent smell is a clever trick to attract pollinators to breed on its flesh, earning it the gruesome nickname ‘the corpse flower’ and its record as the smelliest plant; in the wild, its whiff can be detected up to 0.8km away!

The longest…

Behind the scenes in Kew’s Tropical Nursery are an expert team of horticulturalists who work tirelessly on the conservation and study of some of the world’s rarest and most interesting plants.

  • Nepenthes truncata is endemic to the Philippines but is cultivated at Kew. In 2020, a specimen in the nursery earned the award for the Longest Nepenthes plant trap measuring a staggering 43cm from the base to the lid!
  • Pitcher plants like the Nepenthes get their nutrients from poo – shaped like a toilet bowl, they each produce a nectar to attract a pollinator, which sneakily also acts as a laxative! Whilst feeding, a pollinator poops into the pitcher giving the plant the nutrients it needs to survive, even in some of the most challenging habitats on earth

The oldest…

Kew’s iconic Palm House is home to a prickly cycad (Encephalartos altensteinii) brought from

South Africa to the UK in 1775. Often dubbed ‘living fossils’ these tree-fern-like species are

among the oldest surviving plants in the world. In 2009, Kew staff painstakingly re-potted the Palm House’s oldest resident for a more comfortable fit.

The smallest…

At one point thought to be extinct, the Nymphaea thermarum, also known as the thermal lily, can now be found in the Waterlily House and the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew Gardens. Successfully propagated by Kew horticulturists, this tiny flower is smaller than a 50p coin and only opens in the morning. It is officially the world’s smallest waterlily species.

Ends

For more information or of you would like images and / or to film please contact pr@kew.org

About the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world-famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding collections as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. Kew Gardens is a major international and a top London visitor attraction. Kew Gardens’ 132 hectares of landscaped gardens, and Wakehurst, Kew’s Wild Botanic Garden, attract over 2.5 million visits every year. Kew Gardens was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and celebrated its 260th anniversary in 2019. Wakehurst is home to Kew's Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world. RBG Kew receives approximately one third of its funding from Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils. Further funding needed to support RBG Kew’s vital work comes from donors, membership and commercial activity including ticket sales.

About Guinness World Records   

What’s the fastest game bird in Europe? This was the question that inspired the founding of Guinness World Records back in 1955. Starting with a single book published from a room above a gym, GWR has grown to become a global multi-media brand, with offices in London, New York, Miami, Beijing, Tokyo and Dubai. Today, we deliver world-class content, not just through Books, but via TV shows, Social Media and Live Events. Our in-house consultancy works closely with brands and businesses around the world to harness the power of record-breaking and deliver award-winning campaigns and business solutions. Our ultimate purpose is to inspire people - individuals, families, schools, groups, companies, communities and even entire countries – to read about, watch, listen to and participate in record-breaking. To join this record-breaking community – and find out the answer to that original question – visit guinnessworldrecords.com.