Sir Joseph Banks was a true botanical adventurer and pioneer. Not only did he reveal the floral wonders of the South Seas, New Zealand and Australia to European eyes, but he set Kew Gardens on its path to becoming the world’s foremost botanic garden, bringing in a wealth of rare and useful plants, which had far-reaching impact.

Banks was uniquely privileged and no-one before or since has had such influence in the sphere of botany. He helped to raise botanical science to new heights and brought many new beautiful plants to Britain, which we now take for granted in our gardens.

Here, his life in botany is told through some of the intriguing objects, books and plants from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – the place he held dear until his death in 1820.