Cloud forest in the Peaks National Park, St. Helena, Atlantic Ocean, image by Silvia Pressel
News from the group
-
AnthropoceneScience among polar bears: a day in the life of an Arctic researcher
The Arctic is one of the most fragile and precious places on Earth.
-
BiodiversityNature and breast cancer: the plants that saved a botanist's life
The great diversity of life on Earth can become a literal support system.
-
Science newsNew insights will help the world protect future wheat supplies
The world needs wheat crops that are bountiful, disease resistant and able to thrive in soil without fertilisers.
25 November 2020 -
Science news40% of plants are threatened with extinction
The extinction risk to plants could be worse than previously thought, according to a landmark report.
30 September 2020
Our research
Museum botanists are researching the biodiversity, taxonomy and systematics of plants, including bryophytes, ferns and flowering plants.
Future food
Museum scientists are seeking out wild relatives of food plants native to Peru to help breeders prepare stronger crops for the future.
Plants Under Pressure
The Plants Under Pressure programme measures how many plant species are threatened with extinction, where these plants grow and why they are threatened.
EXCALIBUR: soil biodiversity in horticulture
Excalibur brings together 16 partners across Europe to obtain a better understanding of underground soil biodiversity and dynamics.
Angiosperm research
We are finding new foods by searching for wild relatives of crops, creating tools for biodiversity conservation and assessing how threatened plants are globally.
Bryophyte research
We are focusing on the exploration, description and monitoring of bryophyte flora in the tropics, as indicators of the quality and health of their ecosystems.
Core research labs
Our core research lab teams are available for complex on-site imaging, molecular analysis and conservation of biological samples.
Opportunities
Undertake professional and postgraduate training in plant sciences.
More news
-
Science newsNew Guinea is home to more plant species than any other island
The first taxonomically verified checklist of the plants of New Guinea is complete.
5 August 2020 -
Science newsPlant life on Earth is much older than we thought
Plants appeared on Earth 100 million years earlier than scientists previously thought.
26 February 2018 -
NewsClever enemy could control invasive plant pest
A tiny rust fungus could save the UK millions by halting the spread of the Himalayan balsam.
4 June 2014 -
BiodiversityLife in the ice wilderness
Hear from researcher Dr Anne Jungblut as she explores the abundance of life in the glaciers of South Georgia.
-
AnthropoceneExperts explain the effect of the Amazon wildfires on people, animals and plants
Wildfires are ripping through the Amazon rainforest at an unprecedented rate.
-
Press releaseGenomes of all 66,000 UK species of plants, animals and fungi to be sequenced
The genetic code of 66,000 species in the UK will be sequenced.
1 November 2018 -
NewsCaptain Scott's legacy supports Antarctic biodiversity research
Bacterial samples collected by Captain Scott's Discovery Expedition more than 100 years ago have been used to assess the current state of Antarctic biodiversity.
21 June 2017 -
Press releaseData reveals New Guinea has the highest plant diversity of any island in the world
New research lists for the first time all of the plants in New Guinea, the world's largest tropical island.
6 August 2020
