Outdoor plant collection
Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Science of Masaryk University is located close to the city center. The Masaryk University was estabilished in 1919 and the botanical garden was founded by the first professor of Botany, Josef Podpěra in 1922. Josef Podpěra was mainly plant geographer and he designed the garden.
The outdoor plant collection consists of organized plant groups, arranged according to systematic and ecological-phytogeographical principles. The systematic part of the garden is arranged by families, medical plants, crop plants and Mendel’s hybridization experiments. The ecological-phytogeographical part represents South Moravia and Central Europe, as well as major plant associations of Eurasia.
“The garden reconciles human art and wild nature, hard work and deep pleasure, spiritual practice and the material world. It is a magical place because it is not divided.”
– Thomas Moore
Exotic plants and animals
The outdoor exhibitions and greenhouses are home to many exotic plants from different places, where many exotic animal species can also be seen. Here we can see the mountain plant communities of South Moravia and Central Europe, the species typical of the mountain forests of East Moravia and Slovakia, the mountain vegetation of the Western Carpathians and the Sudetes, the vegetation of the forest steppe and sand dunes, bog vegetation and aquatic vegetation.
In the greenhouses, groups of European temperate flora, Balkan mountain flora, Eurasian continental temperate flora, East Asian temperate flora, Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean flora and North American woody plants are presented. Some exotic animals are also exhibited in the greenhouse. I was allowed to admire the Panther Chameleon in my hands. This wonderful animal was very calm and held firmly on my hand. It was so cute!
Temporary exhibitions are organized in the garden throughout the year. They presents carnivorous plants in May, Victoria cruziana opens its flowers after sunset as the highlight of the Jazz evening in August, succulent plants are presented in September, tropical and subtropical cultivated plants in October, and exotic birds from November. The garden is worth visiting all year round.
“And Botany I rank with the most valuable sciences, whether we consider its subjects as furnishing the principal subsistence of life to man and beast, delicious varieties for our tables, refreshments from our orchards, the adornments of our flower-borders, shade and perfume of our groves, materials for our buildings, or medicaments for our bodies.”
– Thomas Jefferson