Today, 13 March 2025, a rare and endangered Pseudohydrosme gabunensis is flowering in the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew Gardens, London – the first time it will flower on display in the UK. The flower will last for approximately 24-48 hours.
Pseudohydrosme gabunensis has never been displayed publicly at Kew as, until recently, there were just two plants in the collection. Native to Gabon, it is classified as endangered in the wild mainly due to habitat degradation and loss of habitat to urban expansion and agriculture. Most collections have been made in Libreville, at Sibang and at Mondah forest (the Mondah forest has lost 40% of its original area in the last 80 years (Walters et al. 2016)).
In 2022 Kew was lucky to have three flowers in short succession, enabling botanical horticulturists to successfully pollinate the plant and produce new seedlings, some of which were shared with Cambridge Botanic Garden. Botanic gardens play an important role in the conservation of endangered plants in the wild, offering an insurance policy for endangered species. That way, in the worst-case scenario – and the species goes extinct – there’s the possibility of reintroducing the plant in the wild.
Much like the famous Titan Arum, which is in the same plant family, this elusive plant only flowers for a short time, approximately 24 – 48 hours. It is currently on display in the Princess of Wales Conservatory.
Image credit RGB Kew Ines Stuart-Davidson
Source Chloe Wells, Kew
