The Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory houses plants from tropical regions from around the world. Over 750 unique taxa (types of plants) are grown in the 11,000 square foot conservatory that first opened in 1966. Many of these plants have ethnobotanical purposes in their native region. Popular food plants, such as chocolate (Theobroma cacao), papaya (Carica papaya), bananas (Musa spp.), vanilla orchid (Vanilla planifolia and imperialis) and strawberry guava (Psidium spp.) flower and fruit in the conservatory. The conservatory and the adjacent Marnie's Pavilion also house a palm and bromeliad collection. You can also view more tropical specimens via the Orangery windows into the collection greenhouses.
Note: the Conservatory is currently closed for HVAC maintenance.
Updated February 9, 2024
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