1. Seed collecting for Kew Gardens

2. Collecting in the field Kew scientists travel to many different countries to collect seed. This seed will be ‘banked’ (stored in freezers) in the Kew Millennium Seed Bank.

3. Squirting Cucumber (Ecballium elaterium)

4. Seed collecting in Africa Big sacks of seed collected in Africa

6. Cleaning the seeds Seeds have to be cleaned so as to remove grit, dirt and bugs. Some seeds need to be removed from their fruits.

7. Drying seed Seeds need to be very dry before they can be stored in freezers. If a lot of water is left in the seed the water will expand when the seed is frozen and this will break the seed. Seed drying room with crates of seeds

9. Seed x-rays Seeds are x-rayed before being ‘banked’ to make sure that they have not been damaged by bugs inside the seed! damaged seed

10. ‘Banking’ the seed Once the seed is dry and clean it can be put into a special container, labelled and stored in the freezer. Most seed in the Kew seed-bank is kept at - 20°C.

11. Checking the seed Every few years, Kew scientists take some seed out of the bank and grow it on agar gel to check that it is still healthy and able to grow into new plants.

12. Germination tests on seed from all over the world

13. ‘biological ark’ These seeds are like a ‘biological ark’. They will stay preserved for many years and then can be taken out and planted where they are needed. Kew has banked more than 1 billion seeds!!!

15. Collecting seed in the wild Seeds are very important and some seeds are rare. You should never collect seed from wild plants unless you know which plants are OK to collect from! Ask your teacher which seed you can collect.