Conservatory

A zoomed out photo of a round, glass ceiling covering a tropical rain forest of plants and trees.

Wonder and Discover

The Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science is a wonder-filled scientific exploration of tropical plants designed to engage visitors of all ages. Discover a lowland tropical rainforest, a cloud forest, and a carnivorous plant bog. Stories about the plants here include how they have adapted to their environment, their vast diversity in the tropics, and our relationships with them.

Experience more than 600 species that are part of The Huntington’s tropical collections. See such genuine rainforest trees as Bunchosia, Inga, Jacaratia, Ocotea, Ficus, Cecropia, and others that help create a naturalistic setting. This invaluable resource provides living material for teaching, scientific research, and conservation efforts around the world.

Rainforest

This environment reflects lowland tropical forests, where temperatures range from the 60s at night to the 80s during the day and humidity is 70–80%. Among the plants found here are unusual palms, aroids, ant plants, and orchids. Notable species include the rare Osa pulchra, Brownea macrophylla, cacao (Theobroma cacao), and the cannonball tree (Couroupita guianensis)

Left: Thorny tree branches among long green leaves. Right: Close up of thorny branch.

A hand holds 3 creamy white flowers with long, green stalks.

A ridged, bulbous casing sits on a tree branch. Inset shows a close up.

Bright orange-red flower with dozens of pointy spines sits on a tree branch.

Bulbous, yellow bulbs grow from a thick tree branch.

A salmon-colored, spherical fruit grows from a tree branch.

The fierce spines of the rattan palm (Calamus latifolius) deter herbivores and work like grappling hooks, helping the plant to climb into the forest canopy. Photo by Jamie Pham.

Osa pulchra is found in only three locations in Costa Rica and western Panama. Its elegant flowers are large, white, and pendent. The Huntington has distributed plants and seeds of Osa to many botanical gardens and collections. Photo by Dylan Hannon.

Some ants have evolved mutually beneficial relationships with specific plants, commonly known as ant plants. Chambers inside these plants’ swollen stems provide the insects with shelter; in exchange, the ants defend the plants against hungry herbivores. Photo by Jamie Pham.

The bright orange-red flowers of Brownea macrophylla have earned it the common name Flame Tree. Photo by Dylan Hannon.

The seeds inside the brightly colored pods of Theobroma cacao tree are the source of cocoa. Photo by Dylan Hannon.

The spectacular flowers of the cannonball tree (Couroupita guianensis) form a heavy, spherical fruit with a woody shell that can grow up to 10 inches in diameter. Photo by Dylan Hannon.

Cloud Forest

Cool, misty mountain slopes in the tropics at elevations between 2,600 and 11,000 feet (800–3,500 meters) are often the setting for cloud forests, where temperatures range from 50s at night and 70s during the day, with humidity of 70–80%. Trees in this habitat are frequently covered in epiphytic plants like orchids, ferns, and bromeliads. This section of the Conservatory also features aroids, cycads, and some notable trees, including the only oak that is found south of the Equator (Quercus humboltii).

Elongated flowers with red bulbs and orange petals that curl on the ends.

Small white flowers with yellow stamins jutting out.

composite image of two photos of different epiphytes, plants that grow on other plants, in this case growing on two different trees.

Thick, green leaves grow from thin branches.

This colorful relative of coffee originates in a small region of Chiapas, Mexico, and may have vanished in the wild. Photo by Dylan Hannon.

Related to kiwi, this attractive tree, Saurauia madrensis, is native to Chiapas, Mexico. In addition to beautiful foliage, it produces ample clusters of small white flowers. Photo by David Sivertsen.

Epiphytes secure themselves directly to trees or in pockets of canopy soil made of decomposing plants. Their specialized roots anchor them and absorb nutrients. Photos by Max Tepper.

The Andean Oak is the only oak found south of the Equator. It is endemic to high montane forests in Colombia and southern Panama. Photo by Max Tepper.

Bog Gallery

This habitat is home to some of The Huntington’s most unusual American plants. In addition to Venus flytraps, American pitcher plants, sundews, butterworts, and bladderworts from the coastal bogs of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida, a special display features California pitcher plants (Darlingtonia californica). Other plants include bog orchids, Mexican liquidambar, cypress, and sassafras.

Dozens of Venus Flytrap "mouths". — Many plant families include carnivorous members. The ability of some plants to consume animal tissue is an adaptation to the nutrient-poor habitats where they evolved—generally bogs, swamps, and other wetland areas. By trapping and digesting small prey, primarily invertebrates, carnivorous plants obtain nitrogen and other nutrients. Photo by Sandy Masuo.

Plant Lab

The Plant Lab offers an engaging, hands-on introduction to botany, including opportunities to learn about different plant parts and how adaptations help plants survive.

A bolbous flower base reveals soft white leaves, yellow stamens, and thin flower petals in the center.

Long, thin green tendrils of this part of a plant curl at the ends.

LEFT: View of front and back of a large, green leaf. RIGHT: Close-up of felt-like underside. INSET: Extreme close-up of small, furry bulbs on the end of small branches.

A close up of leaves with brown reproductive spores laid out along the fronds as if they were stiched on.

LEFT: Close up of firm, green plant leaves. RIGHT: Long, droppy white leaves hang from a thin green branch.

Commonly known as Elephant Apple or Chulta, Dillenia indica is native to Southeast Asia. Many animals—including elephants—eat the large green fruit this tree produces and disperse the seeds. Photo by Dylan Hannon.

Flagellaria indica is a robust climbing plant found in tropical and subtropical parts of eastern Africa, southern China, Australia, and the southwest Pacific. Its leaves end in long, thin tendrils that help it hold onto neighboring plants. Photo by Max Tepper.

Native to wet tropical regions in Central and South America, Coussapoa villosa’s leaves have smooth, glossy upper surfaces and pale, felt-like undersides that are covered with structures called trichomes that help the plant regulate water loss. Photos by Max Tepper.

The fronds of Angiopteris evecta are among the longest of any fern. On the undersides, its sori (which contain the plant’s reproductive spores) are arranged in a distinct pattern along the edges of the leaflets. Photo by Max Tepper.

Yucca lacandonica is the only known epiphytic species in the genus Yucca. It typically grows high up on tree branches rather than directly in the soil. Photos by Dylan Hannon and Max Tepper.

Conservation

The Huntington’s diverse tropical collections continue to support scientific research, engage visitors, and foster sharing with other botanical gardens. Propagating and distributing rare tropical plants help ensure their survival in cultivation. Conservation horticulture, an informal global cooperative, is distinct from efforts to save plants in the wild.

Provenance

The ownership history of a valued item is generally associated with works of art. Plant provenance is more challenging since live plants cannot be permanently labeled. Provenance generally refers to the source or chain of sources from which the Huntington acquired a plant. If the natural habitat of a plant is known, it also refers to information about when, where, and by whom the plant was collected. Provenance is a type of authentication that can make a plant more valuable for research, conservation, education, and exchange.