Franklin Park Conservatory houses over 400 plant species in its interior plant collections, which occupy two modern glasshouses, a show house, and the Palm House. A biome is a community of plants and animals whose makeup is determined by soil and climate. Climates represented within the Conservatory are: Himalayan Mountains, Rain Forest, Desert, and Pacific Islands. Click on the links to the left to explore each of these areas.

The Showhouse changes with seasons and with the exhibitions presented at the Conservatory. This is the area where the bonsai and orchid collections are housed, and where you will find revolving exhibitions of specialty plants and displays.

The Palm House is the oldest part of the Conservatory where an outstanding collection can be enjoyed in Victorian glasshouse surroundings. Fuller descriptions available by clicking the links to the left.

What's in Bloom!

A Unique Flower with a Unique Color
The Jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys)is a tropical perennial vine that
gains a lot of attention when in flower. Long pendulous spikes of claw-shaped, jade-colored flowers hang below the trifoliate dark green leaves. Belonging in the Leguminosae (pea and bean) family, both foliage and individual flowers resemble others within this family. The flowers are luminous at dusk attracting bats for pollination. These bats hang upside down on the flower spikes drinking the large amounts of nectar the flowers produce. At one time the Jade vine scrambled through the rain forest canopies of the Philippines. It is now threatened in the wild due to deforestation. In 1988, it was estimated that only 20 percent of its native habitat remained. Jade vines typically flower late winter and early spring. Numerous vibrant flower spikes provide unique color and form in the South Conservatory.