How the British Empire used botany to engineer global crops
In short: Discover how the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, functioned as a central hub for a vast colonial network, attempting to transplant species across the globe to enrich the British Empire.
In this lecture, Jim Endersby, Visiting Professor of the History of Science, explores the strategic role of Kew and colonial gardens, such as Sydney's botanic garden founded in the early nineteenth century. The network was designed to ship new plants 'home' to Kew for testing before they were redistributed to other colonies as potential new crops.
The presentation examines the scientific challenges faced by botanists trying to understand why certain plants only thrived in specific environments, as well as the inherent tensions between Kew's scientific mission and its role as a public park.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Gardens of Empire: The Role of Kew and Colonial Botanic Gardens
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