Botanical Garden in Kew, UK Collaborating with Cuban Orchid Farm

HAVANA TIMES — A collaborative project between the Kew Botanical Gardens in the UK and the Soroa orchid farm in Cuba has allowed the island to create an orchid seed bank, reported the Prensa Latina news agency.

The new facilities are the largest in the Caribbean, and in them the seeds can survive for hundreds of years. They are guaranteed to increase populations after disasters such as hurricanes, which are common in the western part of the island – where the orchid farm is located.

The germplasm reservoir will also preserve seeds of varieties threatened by anthropogenic factors, said the director of the exhibition area, Jorge Lazaro Bocourt, who also announced the provision of equipment for the vitroplant laboratory of the scientific institution.