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All the United States Michigan Ann Arbor Matthaei Botanical Gardens

Matthaei Botanical Gardens

These gardens recreate unique and endangered Michigan habitats.

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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John Meszaros
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The Tropical House.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
Pavement- like alvar biome at the gardens.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
Plants in the Arid House.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
A bromeliad collection.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
Low-growing rock garden plants.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
A Great Lakes cobble beach biome at the gardens.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
The extremely rare Wollemi Pine.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
A cycad with a collection of epiphytic ferns.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
The Herb Knot Garden.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
A grassy dune biome at the gardens.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
Epiphytic plants that have evolved a symbiotic relationship with ants.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
Open savanna on the garden’s grounds.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
A cork log covered in epiphytic plants.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
A bonsai in the outdoor gardens.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
A collection of carnivorous plants.   Johnmeszaros / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Michigan is home to many rare and unusual habitats. You'll find dry, grassy dunes bordering the Great Lakes; flat, pavement-like limestone barrens known as alvar, and cobble beaches where the soil is constantly waterlogged and the surface frequently scoured by storms. Sadly, most of these unique environments are threatened by human encroachment.

To educate the public about the importance of these ecosystems, the biologists and gardeners at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens of the University of Michigan have recreated several of them in a large outdoor garden.

Other floral arrangement also share the grounds at Matthaei, such as a bonsai and penjing garden; an herb knot garden filled with medicinal plants from around the world; a rock garden composed of low-growing plants adapted to exposed, windy mountaintops; an urban pocket garden designed to hide and beautify an unattractive gaggle of external utilities such as air-conditioners and water gauges; and more. The 90 acres of land surrounding the botanical gardens also feature walking trails through Michigan ecosystems such as a swamp, oak savanna, and beech-maple forests reclaiming former pasturelands. 

The centerpiece at Matthaei is its large conservatory divided into three broad ecological types. The humid Tropical House features bromeliads, cycads, coffee, tree-ferns, and symbiotic ant-plants, among many others. Among the plants of the Temperate House, you can find papyrus, figs, olives, carnivorous bog plants, cork trees, a rare Wollemi pine, and other flora from milder, Mediterranean-like climates. Lastly, the Arid House features cacti, euphorbias, stone-mimicking Lithops, the unusual ribbon-like Welwitschia, and other succulent plants.

Related Tags

Plants Gardens Botanical Gardens Intriguing Environs Universities Carnivorous Plants Ecosystems

Know Before You Go

There is no admission charge at Matthaei, though donations are greatly appreciated. Parking is $1.80 per hour with a daily maximum of $5.

The trails are easy to walk, though it's not a bad idea to wear insect repellant in the summer.

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Johnmeszaros

Published

October 25, 2019

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  • https://mbgna.umich.edu/
Matthaei Botanical Gardens
1800 N Dixboro Rd
Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48105
United States
42.299748, -83.662745
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