research resources

Our collections are at the heart of our work.

We are committed to the FAIR principles for scientific data management and stewardship, and we make our research outputs Open Access or share them via the Research Scotland repository.

Many of our expert-curated biodiversity data resources are available online - a full list is available on our website.

Herbarium

The Herbarium holds more than 3 million specimens that date from 1697. The collection is particularly important as a record of biodiversity in the UK, and for fungi and plant-allies (moss, lichen and algae). The largest collection – vascular plants -  represent about two thirds of known plant species globally. The Herbarium Catalogue provides free access to more than 1 million high resolution digital specimens, including all type specimens in our collection.

Library

The Library, which focuses on botany and horticulture, is one of Scotland’s largest research libraries. The collection includes 60,000 titles and 3,000 rare and special books dating to the 15th century, electronic access to 300 journals, 3,500 historic periodical titles, a significant collection of 19th and 20th century nursey and seed catalogues, maps, and an important collection of art, illustrations, photographs and glass-plate negatives. The Archive contains a variety of items relating to people who have worked at RBGE since the 19th century.

Living Collection

Living plants have been cultivated and curated at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh since the 18th century when it was established to support education at the University of Edinburgh. Today, the Living Collection is managed across our four sites, and our conservation horticulture renowned for helping to reduce extinction risks to species in Scotland and further afield. The Living Collection catalogue provides a record of accessions.

Cover image: © Eilidh Cameron