Access the Seed Collections

Access the collections online or request seed for research.

Researcher in a germination room in the MSB

Kew's Millennium Seed Bank (MSB), which opened in 2000, is located at Wakehurst in West Sussex and is an integral part of the public visitor experience, together with the Mansion and gardens. 
 
As well as providing space to store thousands of seed samples in a large underground vault, the MSB includes advanced seed research and processing facilities and a state of the art exhibition about seed conservation. 
 
Kew also manages a partnerships with other seed banks around the world – the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP). 

Online

There are information sheets for seed collectors (available to download by pdf) covering various aspects of seed conservation practices and facilities.

These are aimed at practitioners already working in seed conservation but are an interesting resource materials for visitors seeking detailed advice. 

There are a number of MSB databases:

Access the Millennium Seed Bank seed list

Access the Seed Information Database

Access Millennium Seed Bank Partnership Data Warehouse (available to MSBP partners)

To find out more about the MSBP partners, projects and other resources visit the project page.

 

To arrange a visit

Members of the public can visit Wakehurst and see the outside of the MSB building.  

There is an exhibition area between the two laboratory wings and they can observe seed research and conservation in action in the laboratories, which are visible through glass walls. The public cannot normally visit the laboratories and seed vault. 
 
Academic visitors including partners should contact msbsci@kew.org direct in advance of their visit. 

Requests for seeds

Please note that we are unable to accept seed requests from private individuals and will not normally be able to reply to such enquiries. 
 
Seeds are sent out to registered customers for use in research or restoration. There are two seed lists. One list relates to supply for general non-commercial research and trialling by organisations.

The other relates to supply for research, breeding and training by organisations regarding food and fodder production, in respect of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). There are instructions in English, French and Spanish.

Visit the seed list for more information.

Sending in seed samples 

We would be interested to hear from organisations making seed collections from wild plant populations that might wish to send seed for long-term conservation.

Please contact us before sending in samples.

The criteria for accepting samples are that they:
Have been collected legally (with appropriate permission from both landowner and government) and, if imported, that this has taken place legally (ie that plant health and CITES legislation has not been contravened). 

  • Are of wild provenance. 
  • Are in reasonable quantity (small collections of a few hundred seed, particularly from non-endangered populations, cause many processing and maintenance difficulties). 
  • Are recently harvested (collections that are more than a month or two old may well be dead). 
  • Are well documented and include at the very least, date collected, collector(s) and accurate location (preferably with a map reference or latitude / longitude) and, ideally, sampling, ecological and other data.

Contact 

Millennium Seed Bank 
Wellcome Trust Millennium Building, 
Ardingly 
Haywards Heath 
Sussex 
RH17 6TN
UK
 
Email: msbsci@kew.org