ABSTRACT
Even though the Spanish never fully appreciated the export value of coca, and certainly never took measures to capitalize on it, botanists in London did. To be fair, it took the discovery of quinine, and another two centuries, before British scientists realized there was money to be made growing coca. The idea originated among botanists working at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, in the United Kingdom. Today, the gardens are known mainly for their beauty and collections of exotic flowers, as well as for their extensive research programs, but they were once an important resource for the economic exploitation of New World discoveries. Located on the south bank of the Thames River in Surrey, six miles by road west-southwest of Hyde Park Corner, the first Kew Gardens occupied only 11 acres. Lord Capel of Tewkesbury established the gardens in 1721, mainly to provide his kitchen with vegetables. Capel’s Gardens consisted of little more than some pretty ornamental plants and a few vegetables. That changed when the gardens became the property of the Princess Dowager, widow of Frederick, Prince of Wales. The Princess also had an interest in pretty plants, but knew little, and cared less, about the science of botany. Fortunately, King George III did.
