Online platform for responsible seed exchange

Index Seminum in Latin means “Seed Index”. Botanical gardens, arboreta, and research institutions around the world have been exchanging seeds through Index Seminum seed catalogues for centuries. Participating institutions provide a catalogue of seeds which may be of wild or cultivated origin and circulate this list to other botanical institutions; catalogues are published annually or biennially. The exchange of seed increases the collections of botanical gardens around the world and the seed can be used for display, education, research or even ex situ conservation.

Some of the Index Seminum catalogues of the past were quite extensive and were published in little booklet formats and mailed out. In recent years most participants either provide an online link to their Index Seminum, or they email it out. However, up until now, each recipient institution has had to look through multiple catalogues to order what they need. For the first time, all the Index Seminum catalogues can be found in one place under this Index Seminum BGCI hosted Tool in a combined list cooperative web service. This is an online platform for responsible seed exchange. Features include:

• search and filter facilities such as: scientific name, family, garden, accession details or compliance regulations
• bulk upload function and checks for data standards and default values
• taxon names checked against references
• message mechanisms between donor and requesting gardens
• the ability to create a request list with more than one person in your organisation

Instructions

View the following video to understand how to search, filter and request seeds

View the following video to understand how to create a catalogue, upload data as a garden. Please note: provenance now does NOT default to Wild.

Resources

Over time we will be adding more instructions and resources to the Index Seminum tool.

Please see links to an empty upload Excel file, to upload your seed catalogue and a list of the fields available in the tool currently.

BGCI Compliance Certification resources: 

Access and Benefit Sharing Compliance Certification:

Biosecurity Compliance Certification:

CITES Compliance Certification:

Future development of the tool include:

• ability to create a wish list from PlantSearch

The development of this tool was possible through collaboration from the European Botanic Gardens Consortium, the African Botanic Garden Network and funded by the Darwin Initiative. And patience and skill from Keith Damiani.