Plants of the World in the Orangery

Carnivorous plants obtain some of their nutrients from captured animals, while succulents store water for periods of drought. Both groups belong to the Orangery collection, which brings together plants adapted to very different conditions. Orchids, ferns and large-leaved plants representing the humid tropics grow beside the cascade.

The collection also contains citrus trees, banana plants, palms and araucarias. Strelitzia flowers resemble birds. A separate section presents bulbous plants from southern Africa. Other specimens have aerial roots that develop above the growing medium.

Carnivorous plants use traps because nutrients are scarce in their natural habitats. The small animals they catch and digest provide substances such as nitrogen that are lacking in poor soil. Succulents solve a different problem: their specialised tissues store water. These reserves help sustain photosynthesis and other life processes during drought. Cacti also grow in this part of the exhibition.