About
About the Conservatory
The UConn Botanical Conservatory is home to the largest and most diverse collection of living plants at an academic institution in the Northeast. Our nearly 5,000 individual plants represent 2,700+ species and showcase worldwide land plant diversity.
We provide outstanding research facilities and immersive learning opportunities for students and residents of the state of Connecticut and beyond.
Sunlight on Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) in the epiphyte room.
History and Facilities
The Conservatory is one of four collections in the Biodiversity Research Collections in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB). It consists of two facilities on UConn's main campus in Storrs.
Our 11,000-square-foot greenhouse facility is part of the Torrey Life Sciences Building. Also known as the EEB greenhouses, the facility was built in the late 1950s to support the University’s research and teaching mission. The facility now holds our extensive plant diversity collection.
In 2004, a second 5,000-square-foot greenhouse facility was constructed on the rooftop of the Biology/Physics Building. The purpose of this second facility is to support state-of-the-art research at UConn.
For more information, see our UConn Botanical Conservatory Strategic Plan (2022 - 2027).
Abstract photos of the glass roof of the EEB Greenhouse on Jan. 24, 2017.
(Sean Flynn/UConn Photo)
Research
The UConn Botanical Conservatory supports active research projects led by UConn faculty and students. Topics range from plant responses to climate change to genes controlling flower development. In addition, we provide an average of 200 specimens to other academic institutions and researchers each year.
Education
About half of UConn students visit the UConn Botanical Conservatory as part of formal instruction during their tenure at UConn. We provide plants to about a dozen biology courses each academic year. Several UConn departments use the conservatory for tours and assignments in subjects such as plant science, art, anthropology, and digital media design.
Outreach
Our Conservatory is open to the public, including walk-in visitors and tour groups. We draw more than 5,000 visitors each year, many of whom are UConn students. Our staff members give more than 50 formal tours annually to school groups and community organizations. In addition to our research connections with external institutions and scholars, we also loan small collections of plants as traveling exhibits to various events across the state.