Hortus Botanicus

Amsterdam, Netherlands, Netherlands

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Hortus Botanicus is one of the world's oldest botanical gardens, located in the Plantage district of Amsterdam, Netherlands, at Plantage Middenlaan 2a, covering 1.2 hectares and housing over 4,000 to 6,000 different plant species from around the world. Founded in 1638 by Amsterdam's city council as Hortus Medicus, a medicinal herb garden to provide doctors and pharmacists with ingredients for medicines during Europe's plague epidemics, it moved to its current location in 1682 and was stocked with rare exotic plants from South Africa, Asia, and the Dutch East Indies by the Dutch East India Company. The garden features a striking greenhouse built in 1993 (recently renovated) that creates conditions for three different tropical climates, a Palm House with one of the world's most fascinating cycad collections including offsets from Wood's Cycad, a semicircular systematic garden showing plant relationships, and two visiting routes called The Evolution Route and The Tree Route with 24 monumental trees. Notable residents include a 2,000-year-old agave cactus dating back to the Roman era, a 300-year-old Eastern Cape giant cycad, Victoria amazonica water lily, and Coffea Arabica coffee plants considered the "parents" of 74% of coffee plants in the Americas.