Seed banks are a vital ex situ conservation tool for preserving the diversity of flora. Each seed holds all the genetic information needed to reproduce a plant. Seeds stored correctly in a seed bank can remain viable for hundreds of years, if not longer.

The Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) is home to a large and ever-increasing collection of Australian native seeds, and in particular holds the largest national collection of Australian alpine seeds.

As of mid 2009, the ANBG Seed Bank held around 5,200 accessions (individual seed collections, normally stored in a single packet) from more than 3,000 different plant taxa.

The ANBG Seed Bank has focused seed collecting efforts on plant species endemic to the local alpine regions. Work has been fuelled by the increasing threat of climate change and human impact upon Australian alpine flora. Between 2007 and 2009, more than 290 alpine seed collections were successfully banked at the ANBG, including approximately 150 species from 80+ genera.

The Seed Bank consists of a fully equipped laboratory with three germination incubators, a drying room (15°C, 15% relative humidity), cleaning and packaging areas and two freezers (-21°C).

Functions of the ANBG Seed Bank include:

• Long-term storage of conservation seed collections, particularly of rare and threatened flora, and specialising in alpine seeds.
• Experimenting with seed germination and seedling establishment protocols for the propagation of native plants in the ANBG nursery.
• Supplying seed to conservation and research institutions through our plant release program.
• Supporting the research of Australian alpine seed ecology in collaboration with the Australian National University.

ANBG Seed Bank procedures

Read more about the ANBG Seed Bank Procedures for drying, cataloguing and storing seed.

How to request seed

The ANBG Seed Bank can supply seed for approved projects at other botanic gardens, universities and similar institutions by permit application. Seed is not supplied to private individuals.

Applications for seed of species listed as threatened under the EPBC Act are assessed separately under an EPBC permit application.

Using the database

Seed records can be found in the Seed Bank's database.

Use of seed in the Gardens

Seed provides genetic diversity not found in cloned material (cuttings). Many plants cannot be propagated from cuttings, but can be propagated from seed.

Many of the Acacia, Eucalyptus, Banksia and Hakea species that you see in the ANBG have been propagated from seed collected from the wild (in situ), and germinated in the Seed Bank (ex situ). The provenance of all wild collected seed is comprehensively recorded and voucher specimens of the species are catalogued in the Herbarium.

Seed collected in the Gardens is not used or stored in the ANBG Seed Bank due to the risk of hybridisation from having so many similar species in close proximity.

About Seed Banks

The international Millennium Seed Bank Project (MSBP), run by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the United Kingdom, is the largest ex situ conservation project ever undertaken. By the end of this decade the MSBP and its partners world-wide will have banked seed from 10% of the world's wild plant species. Australia is strongly represented in the MSBP with seed banks from each State and the Northern Territory contributing collections of native seed.

Seeds stored correctly in a seed bank can remain viable for hundreds of years, potentially longer, under extremely low temperature cryostorage.

In order to be banked at -18C or cooler, seeds must first be dried until they reach 3 – 7% moisture content (15% RH). Two types of seed exist, categorised by their storage qualities:

Orthodox seeds remain viable even when dried to 15% RH and can therefore be stored in a seed bank at -20°C.

Recalcitrant seeds cannot tolerate the drying process due to their high oil content and cannot be frozen for seed bank storage.

Generally, seed banks, including the ANBG Seed Bank, will store only orthodox seeds, however many seed banks currently undertake research into effective ways of storing recalcitrant seeds for long-term conservation.

Partnerships

The ANBG Seed Bank is a co-partner in Florabank, an initiative of the Australian Government through the former Natural Heritage Trust, Greening Australia and CSIRO to provide links between all native seed banks in Australia.

• Visit the new Australian Seedbank Partnership web page

The ANBG Seed Bank provides facilities for Greening Australia's Seeds for Survival Project. This project was initiated following the 2003 Canberra bushfires to increase the diversity and availability of local native seeds to landholders and the ACT Government for regeneration.

The Australian National University is a co-partner with the ANBG on an ARC Linkage Project to collect seeds from the Australian Alpine region for plant conservation and research on alpine plant adaptation to climate change.

The ANBG Seed Bank also has a small team of volunteers sourced from the Friends of the ANBG that help with a variety of tasks.