University of California, Riverside Botanic Gardens | |
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Type | Botanical |
Location | Riverside, California, U.S. |
Coordinates | 33°58′31″N117°20′23″W / 33.9754°N 117.3396°W Coordinates: 33°58′31″N117°20′23″W / 33.9754°N 117.3396°W |
Area | 40 acres (16 hectares) |
Opened | 1963 |
Species | 3,500 |
Collections | Mediterranean climates, American southwest |
Website | gardens |
The University of California, Riverside, Botanic Gardens are 40 acres (16.2 ha) of botanical gardens containing more than 3,500 plant species from around the world. The Gardens are located in the eastern foothills of the Box Springs Mountain on the University of California, Riverside campus in Riverside, California, US. Over four miles (6 km) of trails wind through many microclimates and hilly terrain.
The UCR Botanic Gardens are actually composed of two parts: the overall UCR campus and the 40-acre (160,000 m2) botanical gardens. The landscaped area around the buildings on campus demonstrates a wide variety of plants adapted to the arid inland area of Southern California. The Gardens were established primarily for teaching purposes and serve to provide plant materials for courses such as anthropology, art, biology, ecology, entomology, morphology, ornamental horticulture, plant pathology, photography, and taxonomy. The Gardens also provide plant materials for research and for exhibiting species from all parts of the world. [1]
A support organization, Friends of the UCR Botanic Gardens, was established in 1980. A popular bi-annual Botanic Gardens Plant Sale provides greater visibility and community support for the gardens. [2]
The gardens are home to 195 bird species, ranging from kites, mallards, falcons and kestrels to quail, plovers, swallows, starlings and woodpeckers. Mammalian residents include California ground squirrels, Audubon cottontails, kangaroo rats, gophers, coyotes, gray foxes, opossums, pack rats, skunks and bobcats. Reptiles, including turtles, lizards of many kinds, and snakes, ranging from gopher snakes to the venomous rattlers, also populate the gardens. Amphibian residents include bullfrogs, western toads, salamanders and Pacific Tree Frog. Fishes include koi and carp.
The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees. Currently, 181 genera with around 2,600 species are known, most of which are restricted to tropical and subtropical climates. Most palms are distinguished by their large, compound, evergreen leaves, known as fronds, arranged at the top of an unbranched stem. However, palms exhibit an enormous diversity in physical characteristics and inhabit nearly every type of habitat within their range, from rainforests to deserts.
Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40–50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry (arid) parts of the Americas and the Caribbean.
The Sonoran Desert is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States. It is the hottest desert in both Mexico and the United States. It has an area of 260,000 square kilometers (100,000 sq mi).
The ecology of California can be understood by dividing the state into a number of ecoregions, which contain distinct ecological communities of plants and animals in a contiguous region. The ecoregions of California can be grouped into four major groups: desert ecoregions, Mediterranean ecoregions, forested mountains, and coastal forests.
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widely used to distinguish plants with little or no woody growth from trees and shrubs, which are also technically perennials.
The Harry P. Leu Gardens are semi-tropical and tropical gardens in Orlando, Florida, United States. The gardens contain nearly 50 acres (200,000 m2) of landscaped grounds and lakes, with trails shaded by 200-year-old oaks and forests of camellias. They are open to the public. The address is 1920 North Forest Avenue Orlando, FL 32803.
The Arboretum & Botanic Garden at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is located on the campus of the University of California, Santa Cruz, in the United States.
The University of California Botanical Garden is a 34-acre botanical garden located on the University of California, Berkeley campus, in Strawberry Canyon. The garden is in the Berkeley Hills, inside the city boundary of Oakland, with views overlooking the San Francisco Bay. It is one of the most diverse plant collections in the United States, and famous for its large number of rare and endangered species.
The University of South Florida Botanical Gardens 15 acres are located on the campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, United States, and consist of 7 acres of developed gardens plus 6 to 9 acres of natural greenbelt. It is a member of the American Public Gardens Association, American Horticulture Society Reciprocal Admissions Program, Greater Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce, and Visit Florida and receives about 35,000 visitors annually. The gardens are open to the public during weekday business hours, and on shorter weekend hours. Admission is $5 for adults.
Quercus engelmannii, the Engelmann oak or Pasadena oak, is a species of oak in the white oak section, native to southern California and northwestern Baja California, Mexico.
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, formerly the Living Desert Museum, is a non-profit zoo and desert botanical garden located in Palm Desert, Riverside County, California, United States. The Living Desert is home to over 500 animals representing over 150 species and welcomes over 500,000 visitors annually. Situated in the Sonoran Desert of the Coachella Valley and Santa Rosa Mountains foothills near Palm Springs, California, The Living Desert is set on 1,200 acres, with 80 developed as zoo and gardens.
The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is a botanical garden located at 3220 Botanic Garden Boulevard, Fort Worth, Texas. The garden was established in 1934 and is the oldest major botanic garden in Texas. It is located in the heart of the cultural district.
Yucca gloriosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to the southeastern United States. Growing to 2.5 m (8 ft), it is an evergreen shrub. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental for its architectural qualities, and has reportedly become established in warmer climates in the wild in various parts of the world.
The UCR Herbarium is a clearinghouse for information regarding plant species distribution in the Western hemisphere. The collection houses over 110,000 dried specimens, approximately 80,000 of which are from the United States, and 32,000 from Mexico. The collection is especially strong in the flora of Southern California and the Baja California peninsula.
The Gibraltar Botanic Gardens or La Alameda Gardens are a botanical garden in Gibraltar, spanning around 6 hectares. The Rock Hotel lies above the park.
The Domaine du Rayol, also known as the Jardin botanique du Rayol and the Parc botanique à Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer, is a botanical garden and arboretum located on the Avenue des Belges, Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer, Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. It is listed as a Remarkable Garden of France by the Committee of Parks and Gardens of the Ministry of Culture of France. It is open to the public, with an admission fee.
The California coastal sage and chaparral is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion located in southwestern California and northwestern Baja California (Mexico). It is part of the larger California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion.
Yucca × schottii is a plant species in the genus Yucca, native to southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and the northern parts of Sonora and Chihuahua. The common names are Schott's yucca, hoary yucca, and mountain yucca. The "×" in the name indicates that this is a nothospecies, regarded as being a natural hybrid between two other species. In this case, Yucca × schottii is believed to have originated as a hybrid between Y. baccata and Y. madrensis. Yucca × schottii is firmly established and does reproduce freely in the wild.