Edinburgh-based scientists have been central to new research, published in the leading journal, Nature, revealing for the first time, the true extent of the vast genetic make-up of the world’s flowering plants.

Working as part of a global team, sequencing the DNA of over 9,500 flowering plants – from both living material and centuries-old specimens held in Herbaria around the world, their work sheds light on Darwin’s “abominable mystery” of how flowering plants evolved. The findings have the potential to release a vast raft of new knowledge, from plant classification to the development of life-saving medicines.

In the capital, precious historic collections, held in the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), were integral to this groundbreaking work. Dr Olwen Grace, Deputy Director of Science (Collections) and Curator of the Herbarium, explained the immense potential to be gained from the new research: “The importance of this research cannot be understated. This refined tree of life provides an encyclopaedia of plant knowledge, a new way of understanding how individual plant groups are related to each other, and has resolved long-standing debates about the relationship between some plants.

“Plants provide the basis of medicines, foods, climate change resilience, and so much more. But, with the Earth’s biodiversity disappearing before our eyes, and an estimated 40 per cent of all known plant species threatened with extinction, the need for clearer understanding of this diversity has never been more urgent.

“Thanks to advancements in DNA sequencing technology, and this kind of global integrated research, we can now learn the genetic secrets of both living specimens and those preserved plants – many of them hundreds of years old – being curated in Herbaria. This will help us join the dots and revolutionise scientific research and understand how we can sustain life on Earth”.

ENDS

For additional background, interviews or images relating to the work conducted in Edinburgh, please respond to this email or call Shauna Hay on 07824 529 028

Further information on the research, led by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, can be found in the attached release.

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is a leading international research organisation delivering knowledge, education and plant conservation action around the world. In Scotland its four Gardens at Edinburgh, Benmore, Logan and Dawyck attract more than a million visitors each year. It operates as a Non-Departmental Public Body established under the National Heritage (Scotland) Act 1985, principally funded by the Scottish Government. It is also a registered charity, managed by a Board of Trustees appointed by Ministers. Its mission is “To explore, conserve and explain the world of plants”.

Learn more: www.rbge.org.uk