With its 40 acres of botanical wonderland, UC Riverside Botanic Gardens are a nature lover’s dream. The gardens house an impressive collection of over 3,500 plants from around the world.

The flora found in the gardens includes exotic trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. The grounds also host numerous butterflies, birds, and granite spiny lizards. Learn more in Riverside, California.

There is a lot to explore at the UCR Botanic Gardens and it’s easy to get lost in the lush landscape. Don’t be afraid to take a self-guided tour or ask one of the docents for tips on where to look.

UC Riverside is a major university in Southern California, and the campus is home to numerous museums and galleries. Besides the Botanic Gardens, there are several art and science museums in addition to the UCR Arts and the Jack and Marilyn Sweeney Art Gallery.

The Botanic Gardens is primarily a teaching facility but the garden is also used to test and exhibit plant species introduced from around the world. The gardens have a number of formal and informal gardens, including an heirloom rose garden, a weeping cherry allee and grotto, and a wisteria garden and fountain.

You’ll find a wide variety of plant specimens here, from tropical plants to those from the deserts. Some of the more interesting plants include a tropical, epiphytic plant called an Ant Plant in the coffee family, Rubiaceae.

It has an enlarged tuber that contains openings in which ants live and protect the plant. It also has a layer of sterile cells that help the plant to reproduce without harming its surrounding environment.

Some of the other examples of plants on display at the Botanic Gardens are tropical trees, vines, and lianas. A good example is the Gnetum genus, which contains about 35 different species of vines and lianas.

This is a great place for children to learn about plants and their evolution. In the Botanic Gardens Conservatory, you can explore stages of development in plants from the most ancient land plants to flowering plants, which are classified as vascular plants. Learn more about Mount Rubidoux Climbing and Hiking Trails.