Arid Collection
A collection of plants adapted to arid environments.
.jpg.webp?itok=ii4eGxXl "Cacti in the Princess of Wales Conservatory,©RBG Kew")
Location: Tropical Nursery, Princess of Wales Conservatory and Temperate House
Taxa: 2,000 Accessions: 5,000 Wild-sourced: 30%
Geographic strengths: Africa, Madagascar and the Americas
Taxonomic strengths: Aizoaceae, Asphodeloideae (Aloe, Gasteria, Haworthia, Bulbine), Cactaceae (including epiphytic Cactaceae and Melocactus), succulent Euphorbiaceae, succulent and herbaceous Pelargonium species, Crassulaceae (Adromischus, Tylecodon, Sedum, Echeveria, Cotyledon and Crassula), Asparagaceae (Agave), succulent/caudiciform Apocynaceae and succulent Vitaceae
Notable specimens: Sansevieria kirkii var. pulchra dating back to 1903; Cylindrophyllum hallii, saved from extinction and propagated at Kew; the Critically Endangered Aloe suzannae and Aloe helenae from Madagascar; Dioscorea strydomiana, a Critically Endangered medicinal plant and the world’s most threatened yam; and Aloidendron barberae, collected by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother during the Royal Tour in the Union of South Africa in 1947.