How did Kew Gardens help distribute rubber trees and quinine-producing cinchona plants?

Kew Gardens played a pivotal role in the global distribution of economic plants by acting as a center for scientific research and the international exchange of specimens. The institution is famously responsible for the spread of various plants, including the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) and cinchona, which yields the medicinal compound quinine.12

Regarding the rubber industry, seeds of the Hevea brasiliensis tree were collected from Brazil and brought to England in 1876 at the instigation of the British India Office. Kew Gardens served as the site where these seeds were raised into seedlings. Once established, these seedlings were shipped to locations such as Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Singapore, effectively originating the Asian rubber plantation industry.32

Kew’s involvement in such efforts was part of its broader historical function as a hub for collecting expeditions and the distribution of economically significant plants to regions where they could be cultivated most successfully.1