Science

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Collections

Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum hold unique and internationally important species, some of which now exist nowhere else.

People

Read about our leading researchers and their work.

Research projects

Our research is focused on evolutionary and reproductive biology, and conservation linked to biodiversity hotspots around the world.

Conservation

Working with botanists around the world, we are developing ex situ conservation plant collections of species from biodiversity hotspots.

Here at Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum, we are developing a vibrant research portfolio focusing on evolutionary genetics, speciation and ex situ conservation linked to botanical survey work carried out in botanical hotspots around the world. We also work closely with the University of Oxford’s Department of Biology and partners further afield, including the University of Bristol, the Linnean Society of London and the BGCI (Botanic Gardens Conservation International). Our public engagement programme is intrinsically linked to the research we do.

Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum hold unique and internationally important species, some of which now exist nowhere else.

Collections Data Management – BRAHMS Database

In addition to their aesthetic value, the plants grown at OBGA are a scientific collection, and the data associated with them are very important. The plant records database is a vital tool for documenting and analysing OBGA’s living collections. These data include current taxonomy and nomenclature, provenance (wild or garden source), and conservation status. There are currently 272 plant families and nearly 5,000 species represented in the living collections.

OBGA uses the BRAHMS database software for managing its plant records, the software developed at the University of Oxford (see: BRAHMS: Software for Natural History Management (ox.ac.uk)). The BRAHMS project is part of a wider research initiative at the University of Oxford to explore and document biodiversity.

Our collections centre on four core key scientific themes:

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Taxonomy and Evolution

Our collections are a teaching and research resource to illustrate and explain the evolution, diversity and classification of plants. In the Walled Garden, you can find our Taxonomic Beds which have been reconfigured in line with the latest DNA-based classifications. We also place a strong focus on evolution and adaptation in our glasshouse collections. Together, these collections represent a ‘living library’ for evolutionary and comparative genomics research.

Heritage and Landscape

As the oldest botanic garden in the UK, we have a unique and unrivalled heritage. Our Herbarium Room, which opened to the public in 2019, physically connects the Garden with the Oxford Herbaria and showcases some of the treasures from this internationally important scientific collection. This theme will also drive the establishment of ‘historical’ borders of plants reflecting the botanical legacies of former Professors, Keepers and Curators.

Conservation and Biodiversity

As part of our commitment to delivering objectives set by the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, we are developing and enhancing our conservation collections with a focus on local rare flora, and plants from the global biodiversity hotspots of Japan and Chile.

(Image: Temperate forest in Hokkaido, Japan, where many plant species have been collected for our Japan flora collection)

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Plants and People

This theme celebrates the importance of plants to society and everyday life, and promotes the message that all life on earth depends on plants. Our 'Plants that Changed the World' collections in the Lower Garden and the Glasshouses highlighting plants that have changed the course of human civilisations across the globe.

Professor Simon Hiscock, Director

Read about Simon's work on plant reproduction and evolution.

Dr Chris Thorogood, Deputy Director and Head of Science

Read about Chris' work on evolutionary genetics, plant taxonomy and biodiversity hotspots.

Scientists at Oxford Botanic Garden work on a broad portfolio of collections-based and interdisciplinary research. Our work explores fundamental processes in plant evolution and reproduction using genetics and genomics, and examines potential applications of plants in technology. Our research is carried out in close collaboration with other scientists at the University of Oxford’s Biology Department, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, and other institutions around the world.

In particular, our research at Oxford Botanic Garden focusses on the evolution of new species in ragworts (Senecio spp.) and carnivorous pitcher plants (Nepenthes spp.), as well as taxonomically complex parasitic plant groups (for example Orobanche, Cistanche and Hydnora). Working with botanists internationally, we are developing ex situ conservation and research collections of species from biodiversity hotspots – areas with high plant species richness. Meanwhile our conservation-related research focuses on the Mediterranean Basin, the Canary Islands, Ethiopia and Japan.

Conservation at Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum

Botanic Gardens play a crucial role in the conservation of the world’s flora at a time when this has never been more important: two in five plant species are threatened with extinction worldwide. The living plant collection at Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum (OBGA) contains about 5,000 different types of plant and holds significant conservation value. As part of our commitment to delivering against the strategy set by the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, OBGA works with partners in Oxfordshire and across the globe to conserve rare plants. Indeed some of those grown in our collections can be found nowhere else in the world.

Biodiversity hotspots

Working with botanists around the world, we are developing ex situ conservation plant collections of species from biodiversity hotspots – areas with high plant species richness. Our research collectively focuses on the Mediterranean Basin, Ethiopian and Japanese floristic regions.