Botanical Gardens in Berkeley, San Francisco Bay, United States | Botanical Gardens

Welcome to the Botanical Gardens, Berkeley, United States. See plants like you've never seen before at the Botanical Gardens, Berkeley.  The University of California Botanical Gardens is a living museum open to the public featuring one of the most diverse plant collections in the United States. Established in 1890, the Garden's 34 acres contain over 12,000 different kinds of plants from all over the world arranged by region.

We are an outdoor museum with a unique collection of living plants. As you enjoy your visit, please help us protect our plants …* Stay on the paths * No picking, collecting or harvesting * No climbing, running or sports & games * Picnic only at tables, benches & lawn * No pets (service animals excepted) * No smoking, no fires * No music

A small garden of economic plants was established on the Berkeley campus on the site currently occupied by Moffit Library in the 1970’s by Dr. Eugene W. Hilgard (1833-1916), founding Dean of Agriculture . The University of California Botanical Garden was formally established in 1890 by E. L. Greene, the first chairman of the Department of Botany, to form a living collection of the native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants of the State of California, with the intent to gather in as rapidly as possible those of the neighboring states of the Pacific Coast. Within two years the collection numbered 600 species. In the following decade it grew to 1500, but then began to expand both its scope and collection to encompass plants from all continents and about 10,000 species.  The original official Botanical Gardens was located near Haviland Hall on the north side of campus centered around a large glass conservatory modeled after the London Crystal Palace .