The importance of knowing where seeds come from is an issue which has risen up the agenda of many conservation-project managers in recent years. This issue of provenance has tended to concentrate on whether or not they are native seed, where 'native' has been framed in the context of whether the seed comes from this country or overseas. An investigation by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (Watsonia 22: 317-328) has highlighted the importance of considering the source of seed in relation to the conditions into which the seed or seedlings are to be introduced.