Jardin des Plantes

The Jardin des Plantes, located on the left bank of the river Seine in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, is the most important botanical garden in France. It covers an area of 28 hectares and belongs to the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle.

The garden contains four galleries of the museum: the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution, the Mineralogy Museum, the Paleontology Museum and the Entomology Museum. Additionally, the Jardin des Plantes include a small zoo, established in 1795 by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. The animals in the zoo come from the royal menagerie at Versailles.

The gardens also feature a botanical school, which prepares future botanists and organizes demonstration gardens. On an approximately one hectare plot, there are about 4500 plants arranged by family. Other three hectares of the garden are occupied by displays of decorative plants. Additionally, the so-called Alpine garden contains 3000 species from all over the world. In the garden there are also specialized buildings: an huge Art Deco wintergarden as well as Mexican and Australian hothouses which house plants from these countries. The Rose Garden is full of different species of roses and rose trees.