The 1992 Global Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio de Janeiro) specified the need to make biodiversity data available "despite imperfections, rather than holding back information until more polished products are completed." Few organizations have done so. This Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew, UK) genome biodiversity database is one valuable exception. Founded in 1759, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has built its unique collections which now include 6 million dried plant specimens - covering 90% of the world's plant species; 40,000 living plant taxa - estimated as 10% of the world's flora; and 80,000 fungi and artifacts of plant origin. Known best among botanists as a global resource for definitively identifying, classifying, and naming plants and fungi, Kew also maintains this database on DNA C-values. To access this free, searchable database, the user must provide an email address as well as the genus of interest; search results include Taxon, Family, 4C DNA amount (pg), and entry number/reference citation, listed separately for each species.
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