Tropical Collection

Plantings within the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory are designed to showcase plant species found in each of the lowland tropical rainforests around the world, as well as cultivated varieties chosen for their exceptional form or color. With hundreds of thousands of tropical plants in the world, it would be impossible to collect, grow and display them all.

Currently, Denver Botanic Gardens’ Tropical Collection contains nearly 3,177 taxa, representing more than 2,375 species from 706 genera and 124 families. The collection has particularly strong representation from Central America and South America. Some recent accessions have improved representation from Australia and Africa.

While the Gardens’ tropical displays encompass a wide range of plant families, over the years several have obtained prominence in our collection. Predominant sub-collections include plants in the following plant families: Orchidaceae, Bromeliaceae, Arecaceae, Araceae, Zingiberaceae, Begoniaceae, Gesneriacea and Acanthaceae.