Jardin du Roi

Jardin des Plantes

Jardin des Plantes
The exterior of the Grande Galerie de l'évolution architect Louis-Jules André.
Location within Paris
Established	1635 (1635)
Location	Paris, France
Coordinates	48°50′38″N 2°21′35″E / 48.84396°N 2.35960°E / 48.84396; 2.35960
Type	botanical garden
Public transit access	Jussieu Austerlitz
Muséum national d'histoire naturelle network
Muséum national d'histoire naturelle Jardin des Plantes Musée de l'Homme Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes Brunoy Ecology Research Centre Chèvreloup Arboretum Jardin botanique exotique de Menton Marinarium Concarneau Marine Biology Station Paris Zoological Park (Vincennes Zoo) Cleres Zoological Park Research and Education Centre on Coastal Systems Haute Touche Zoological Park Jaysinia Alpine Garden Abri Pataud Prehistoric Museum L’Harmas de Fabre

The Jardin des Plantes (French: garden of plants) is the main botanical garden in France. It is one of seven departments of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle. It is situated in the 5ème arrondissement, Paris, on the left bank of the river Seine and covers 28 hectares (280,000 m²).

The grounds of the Jardin des Plantes includes four galleries of the Muséum: the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution, the Mineralogy Museum, the Paleontology Museum and the Entomology Museum. In addition to the gardens there is also a small zoo, Ménagerie du Jardin des plantes, founded in 1795 by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre from animals of the royal menagerie at Versailles.

The Jardin des Plantes maintains a botanical school, which trains botanists, constructs demonstration gardens, and exchanges seeds to maintain biotic diversity. About 4500 plants are arranged by family on a one hectare (10,000 m²) plot. Three hectares are devoted to horticultural displays of decorative plants. An Alpine garden has 3000 species with world-wide representation. Specialized buildings, such as a large Art Deco winter garden, and Mexican and Australian hothouses display regional plants, not native to France. The Rose Garden, created in 1990, has hundreds of species of roses and rose trees.