Tropics House

The right wing of the principal greenhouse – the tropics building – was completed in 2006 and counts 600 floral taxa between its subtropics and tropics sections.

Collection of sub-tropical plants

Visitors can admire subtropical plants from all parts of the world: the Mediterranean, South Africa, the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Japan. The trees represented in the building include evergreen oak (Quercus ilex), the highly endangered Araucaria angustifolia and the Swietenia mahogany (Swietenia mahogani), highly prized for its precious timber.

Among the early flowering plant genera, the Grevillea robusta and the large-leaved magnolia Magnolia macrophylla are represented.

In the subtropical plants section, you can also see the Dioon spinulosum, one of the earliest seed-bearing plants and an endangered species. There is also the Pisonia brunoniana and the Macropiper excelsum – both shrubs from New Zealand with curious adaptations.

There is also a fascinating selection of orchids: Dendrochilum, Dendrobium, Paphiopedilum, Cymbidium, Coelogyne.

A number of epiphytic ferns of the genera Microsorum, Asplenium and Phlebodium grow in hanging baskets and on tree trunks, as well as Streptocarpus, Pelargonium and Aeschynanthus.

Collection of tropical plants

The tropical section includes both lianas and trees, as well as tropical epiphytes – bromeliads, orchids and cacti. Among the trees, the most notable are the Cedrela odorata and the Spathodea campanulata, while the shrubs include the Megaskepasma erythrochlamys and the pepper Piper tiliifolium, which has fine candle-like flowers.

Several tropical food plants can also be found in the tropical section: the Ceylon cinnamon tree (Cinnamomum verum), the papaya tree (Carica papaya), the durian tree (Durio zibethinus), the star fruit tree (Averrhoa carambola), the vanilla tree (Vanilla planifolia) and others.

Among the bromeliads, fascinating are the moss-like Tillandsia, the brightly coloured Neoregelia or the Vriesea hieroglyphica. On the ground, on the trees and on the walls, there are many Araceae. Flamingo flowers (Anthurium) do better in the shadier areas, while philodendrons (Philodendron) have taken over the walls.

There are plenty of orchids here: the most abundant are the bulbophyllums (Bulbophyllum), which often have stinking flowers. Phalaenopsis are some of the best known houseplants. The Psychopsis and Brassia are truly worthy of their name when in flower. Orchids bloom in early spring, when their profusion of flowers and intoxicating bouquet of fragrance fills greenhouses on sunny days.