Seeds you can bank on

Abstract

Arguments over ‘preservation’ versus ‘conservation’ will no doubt be around for some time. However, while these discussions continue plants are becoming rarer in the wild. The recent opening of a botanical equivalent of Noah's Ark at Wakehurst Place (part of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, UK) should play its part in both. Seeds from >24 000 plant species will be deep-frozen and preserved in the Millennium Seed Bank, providing an invaluable resource for plant conservation and research. New Sci. (2000) 168, 5. NC