Longest-living seeds

This Leucospermum conocarpodendron subsp. conocarpodendron was grown from seeds over 200 years old – among the longest living seeds ever.



It was recently planted in the Temperate House, ready for the opening on 5 May. But the plant’s history stretches back much further than this new home.

Seeds found within wallet

The seeds were tucked away in a red leather-bound wallet from 1803 until 2005. A researcher discovered them unexpectedly, while looking into the High Court of Admiralty Prize Papers in the National Archives.



They weren’t the only seeds found. In total, there were 40 seed packets in the wallet, each labelled with species annotations.



Some labels were more mysterious, with one listing simply: ‘Seeds from a tree with crooked thorns’.



The wallet also contained Chinese silk, an envelope with a lock of dark hair, and a prayer written in the centre of a flower cut out from paper.