The botanical garden

The University’s Botanical Gardens are at the heart of Strasbourg and cover an area of 3.5 ha 1 km to the east of the athedral.

The current Botanical Garden dates from 1884 and include 6,000 plant species. A tropical greenhouse houses a collection of remarkable plants, including several palm trees, over two storeys. It is also home to several cycases perched atop rocks, covered on the south-facing side with bromeliads and on the north-facing side with ferns. In winter, a 207 sq. m cold house shelters more than 500 plant species from regions with warm winters: conifers from the Southern hemisphere, bulb plants and a collection of cacti and succulent plants.

Outside admire an Arboretum including some 2,200 trees and shrubs from all the temperate regions. Some of the most remarkable trees are: the Caucasian Wingnut, the Giant Sequoia and five Bald Cypresses, one of which, the Taxodium Ascendens is very rare in Europe.

The annual and herbaceous plants are classified by family in plots that we call the “System”.

Every Sunday afternoon (times depend on the season), a guided tour of the Botanical Gardens is offered to the general public, to allow you to delve into the diversity of the world of plants.