DNA & Tissue Bank

The DNA bank at Kew is the largest of its kind in the world, with more than 40,000 accessions of plant genomic DNA, representing about 32,500 species of vascular plants, almost 6,000 genera and most families. Because the bank reflects the different projects that were conducted in the lab since its establishment, the orchid collection is particularly well represented with more than 5,500 species, about a quarter of all orchid species known to science. The main sources of new DNA samples routinely included in the bank come from projects either lead by Kew scientists or undertaken by visiting researchers in collaboration with Kew staff.
Kew

Collection Size

40000 Genomic DNA extracts, 1500 Silica-gel dried tissues

Collection Coverage

Curation details

Institution Codes