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Soft launched – October 2026

SeedPOD: the Seed Portal for Online Data

A publicly available digital platform supporting global native seed-based ecological restoration, conservation and research – standardising, aggregating and openly sharing high-quality seed collection and viability data from the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, its seed custodian network worldwide, and our data partners.

Explore the database Become a Data Partner
Close-up of a hand holding twelve bright orange and black seeds, with sandy ground and scattered dry leaves in the background
Afzelia parviflora seeds collected in Sierra Leone. Xander van der Burgt © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew

Comprehensive, standardised seed data in one place

The global bottleneck of native seed supply is a widely acknowledged issue, made worse by a lack of high-quality, accessible data on wild seed collections and their source populations. SeedPOD standardises, aggregates and openly shares this data - reconciled to the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) taxonomic backbone while retaining original names for searching - and makes it available under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC) licence, with options to restrict sensitive records (for example species threatened by over-harvesting or international trade).

Explore the database

Search seed collections, germination results and embryo stain tests by species or common name.

Get involved

Become one of SeedPOD's data partners everywhere, or list your organisation on the native seed supplier register.

Terms of use

How SeedPOD data can – and cannot – be used, cited and shared.

What’s in SeedPOD

Data are structured into eight categories, so records from very different seed custodians can be searched, compared and cited consistently.

Seed banking

Plant name & identification

Wild collections

Cultivated collections

Seed availability

Germination test results

Germination test steps

Embryo stain tests

Help us improve this test site

Tell us what you think

If you notice anything confusing, broken or missing – or have suggestions for what would make SeedPOD more useful to you – please email the team directly.

Email us your feedback

A glimpse into the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership's work, from wild collection through to long-term storage and testing.

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Aerial view of the Millennium Seed Bank building and nearby greenhouses at Wakehurst
The Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst by Visual Air © RBG Kew
An open seed-vault door with a yellow surround inside the Millennium Seed Bank
An open vault door inside the Millennium Seed Bank by Sebastian Kettley © RBG Kew
Rows of sealed glass containers holding seeds on illuminated storage shelves
Seed collections in sealed glass containers in a Millennium Seed Bank vault by Wolfgang Stuppy © RBG Kew
X-ray image of Aegilops seeds in a circular dish over a red measurement grid
X-ray image of an Aegilops seed collection by Millennium Seed Bank staff © RBG Kew
A row of laboratory instruments with red handles at Wakehurst
Laboratory instruments on display at Wakehurst by Jim Holden © RBG Kew
Small narrow seeds being cut open with a blade for examination
Close-up of dissected seeds by Andrew McRobb © RBG Kew
Rows of labelled potted seedlings growing in the Wakehurst Nurseries
Labelled seedlings in the Wakehurst Nurseries by Jim Holden © RBG Kew
Pink Millennium Seed Bank demonstration seeds beside a potted seedling
Millennium Seed Bank demonstration seeds and a seedling by Andrew McRobb © RBG Kew
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