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Lausanne Botanical Garden photo by Musée et jardins botaniques cantonaux-

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Lausanne Botanical Garden

The Cantonal Botanical Museum and Gardens are located in the Canton of Vaud Switzerland.

In the nearing town of Bex, there is another garden called La Thomasia in the Alps however the Cantonal Botanical Museum and Gardens is administered under the service of cultural affairs of Vaud.

The function of the museum and garden is to engage in the study of local flora as well as in promoting public awareness of biodiversity and nature education in general.

The museum as well as the two botanical gardens are listed as cultural assets of national importance and here are the 10 fascinating facts about Lausanne Botanical Garden.

Lausanne Botanical Garden photo by Lpalli-

1. The First recorded Private Botanical garden in Lausanne Dates from the End of the 17^th Century

Although the first recorded private botanical garden in Lausanne dates from the end of the 17^th century.

However, the first botanical garden had its origin in the donation by Baron Albert de Buren of his collection of 1700 plants to the state in 1873.

This was to serve as the basis for the creation of a botanical garden by the canton.

At first, there was a temporary placement at Champ-de-l-Air near what is now the University Hospital of Lausanne.

And in 1890 the collection was moved to the site of the newly constituted University of Lausanne below the faculty of chemistry and physics rue de Couvaloup where it was essentially used for the teaching of pharmacy and visited mainly by students.

Lausanne Botanical Gardens photo by Gabriel Garcia Marengo-

2. The Design and Creation of the Garden were done by Alphonse Laverriere and Charles Lardet

The design and creation of the garden were the fruit of the close collaboration between the architect Alphonse Laverriere professor Florian Cosandey and the gardener Charles Lardet.

However, the plan of the site included alpine rock gardens and a pool dominated by a cliff made of strata of rock and a cascade falling into the basin.

The stone came from the Jura mountains above Biere but the quarrying and assembly were made more difficult than custom by the strict requirements of the job.

Furthermore, no marks of tools or broken fragments were allowed to be seen in the finished work the outlook must appear natural and as if it was part of the original hill site.

Lausanne Botanical Garden photo by Gabriel Garcia Marengo-

3. The Garden Today counts Approximately more than 6,000 Plants

The garden today counts approximately more than 6,000 plants both local and from around the world.

They are set in sectors dedicated to alpine, aquatic, medicinal, and utilitarian plants as well as greenhouses with tropical succulent and carnivorous specimens and a small arboretum.

Lausanne Botanical Garden photo by Gabriel Garcia Marengo-

4. An Ecological Area is Dedicated to Spontaneous Fauna

An ecological area dedicated to spontaneous fauna was recently created.

However, it consists of a small oligotrophic lake for amphibians as well as reconstituted habitats for insects and small mammals with dead trees and alpine fellfields.

5. La Thomasia was Created in the Year 1891

In 1891 La Thomasia was created by the initiative of the city of Bex and is the oldest continuously active alpine garden in Switzerland.

Under the director of the botanical garden in Lausanne by 1895 the collection counted already some 2000 species.

And the garden takes its name from the family of Thomas that gave four generations of botanists.

The first was Pierre Thomas who began his work under the direction of Albrecht von Haller the author of the first flora of Switzerland.

However, the family made a business of collecting alpine plants in the mountains surrounding Bex and selling them to foreign collectors and gardens.

6. The Surface of the Garden is Basically Flat

The surface of the garden is basically flat but covered with small artificial hills which however allow cultivation on different exposures and in a variety of habitats.

More so several ponds, as well as a stream, have been created and on the eastern part, there is a spontaneous forest of European Spruce with large rocks, ferns, and mosses.

7. The Museum is the Archive of Botanical Collections for the Canton of Vaud

The museum is the archive of botanical collections for the canton of Vaud. However, it began as a dependence on the Natural History Museum in 1824 and the herbarium collection was given distinct curator Louis Edouard Chavannes 20 years later.

He was later on succeeded by Rodolphe Blanchet, Jean Balthazar Schnetzler, Louis Favrat, Ernest Wilczek, Arthur Maillerfer, Florian Cosandey, Peter Villaret, and Gino Muller. The current director of the museum and the gardens is François Felber.

8. The Museum’s Library Dates from the Beginning of the Museum in 1824

The museum’s library dates from its beginning of the museum in 1824.

However, it currently contains approximately 35,000 books and over 800 periodicals of which 122 are still published.

The collection covers all aspects of plant biology although it consists of mainly of specialized works and focuses primarily on the acquisition of floras and monographs in systematic botany.

9. The Library Conserves a Collection of 3375 Ancient Books of floras

The library conserves a collection of 3375 ancient books of floras and other works dating from 1531 to 1901 including works by Linne, Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, Albrecht von Haller, Johann Jakob Scheunzer, Dominique Villars, Lamrack, Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, and others.

Furthermore, the library is open to the public by appointment only.   

10. The Museum’s Role is to Further Public Awareness and Education about Nature

The museum in its role of furthering public awareness and education in nature in general engages in various activities.

However, since 1994 and the creation of a multipurpose room the Cantonal Museum and Botanical Gardens regularly mount botany-related exhibitions that often extend into the grounds of the two gardens Lausanne and the alpine garden.

The recent shows include Diaspora about fruit and seed dispersal; The painted herbarium of Rosaline de Constant; Au Rendez-vous des Arbes, photos of remarkable trees; and Wildflowers in the city.

Furthermore, the Museum and Botanical Gardens cantonal also organizes animations for young persons and the general public as well as conferences and botanical excursions with the assistance of local botany associations.