The solution to the lack of functional data for underrepresented plant taxa could be found in botanical gardens. It is possible for researchers to access thousands of species from all over the world with a variety of life histories and living collections kept in botanic gardens, which house about thirty percent of all plant species.

There is currently an unparalleled loss of plant diversity, which is leading to a decline in ecosystem services. The threat of extinction affects about one-third of the world's vascular plant species. These activities include excessive harvesting and exploitation, unfavorable forestry and agricultural practices, urbanization, pollution of the environment, changes in land use, exotic invasive species, global climate change, and more. Thus, in order to save plant species, we must work harder to create integrative conservation strategies. Plant research, conservation, and public education about the richness of plant species worldwide are the main goals of botanical gardens. Additionally essential to sustaining human necessities and well-being are these gardens.

Scientists are able to get around many of the infrastructure challenges involved in gathering functional trait data for tropical forest species in-situ because botanic gardens frequently feature on-site laboratories and are affiliated with universities and other research institutes. A catalog of the scientific research, in-situ conservation, plant resource exploitation, and citizen science components of the botanical gardens' integrated missions is presented in this mini review.