Kew Gardens has secured a new world record for the “largest collection of living plants at a single-site botanic garden”.

From the longest and biggest to the smelliest and smallest, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew’s record-breaking plant collections have long been renowned for being amongst the most valuable and varied in the plant kingdom.

Kew Gardens is home to an impressive 16,900 species of plants from all over the world at its 320-acre site in London.

The achievement will be honoured in the upcoming Guinness World Records (GWR) book to be published in 2022.

Adam Millward, Managing Editor from Guinness World Records, said: “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”

Image Credit: Richard Wilford/RBG Kew

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyle including sustainable and green living