Desert Botanical Garden

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United States of America - Arizona - Phoenix

Institution Code: DES

BGCI Member: Yes

About the Desert Botanical Garden

Nestled amid the red buttes of Papago Park, the Desert Botanical Garden hosts one of the world’s finest collections of desert plants. One of only 44 botanical gardens accredited by the American Association of Museums, this one-of-a-kind museum showcases 55 acres of beautiful outdoor exhibits. Home to over 350 rare, threatened and endangered plant species from around the world, the Garden offers interesting and inspiring experiences to more than 400,000 visitors each year.

A charter member of the Museum Association of Arizona and the Center for Plant Conservation, the Garden is fully accredited with the American Alliance of Museums and American Public Gardens Association. The Garden continues to build on its more than 80-year legacy of environmental stewardship, and has become nationally and internationally renowned for its plant collections, research and educational programs.

Main Address:
Desert Botanical Garden
1201 North Galvin Parkway
Phoenix
Arizona 85008 United States of America

Telephone: (480) 941-1225
Fax: (480) 481-8124
URL: www.dbg.org
Primary Email: admin@dbg.org

Staff Details

  • Director's Name: Ken Schutz, Executive Director
    Curator's Name: Raul Puente-Martinez, Curator of Living Collections
    Plant Records Officer's Name: Kimberlie McCue, PhD, Senior Director, Desert Horticulture and Conservation
  • Total Staff:
    Horticultural Staff Number: 16
    Educational Staff Number: 13
    Research Staff Number: 21
    Administration Staff Number: 12

About the Garden

  • Institution Type: Botanic Garden
  • Status
  • Status: Private: Yes
  • Date founded: 1939
  • Physical Data
  • Natural Vegetation Area: Yes
    Natural vegetation area: Size: 35 Hectares
  • Landscaped Area: Yes
    Landscaped Area: Size: 22 Hectares
  • Total Area: 57 Hectares
    Latitude: 33.4598200
    Longitude: -111.9493100
    Annual Rainfall: 178 mm
    Altitude: 372.00 Metres

Features and Facilities

  • Herbarium: Yes
    Herbarium: Number of Specimens: 92000
  • Seed Bank: Yes
    Computer Plant Record System: Yes
  • Open to public: Yes
    Friends society: Yes
    Retail Outlet: Shop: Yes
    Retail Outlet: Plant Sales: Yes
    Disabled access: Yes
  • Number of Visitors: 400000
    Number of Volunteers: 700

Plant Collections

  • Accession Number: 14000
    Cultivation Taxa Num: 4400
  • Special Collections:Cactaceae (1,397 spp., 2,190 taxa), Agavaceae (240 spp., 327 taxa), Euphorbiaceae (159 spp., 186 taxa), Fouquieriaceae (14 spp, 15 taxa), Leguminosae (228 spp., 263 taxa), Myrtaceae (148 taxa). Acacia (94 spp., 96 taxa), Agave (146 spp., 196 taxa
  • Invasive Species Monitoring: Yes
    Plant Collection Policy: Yes

Conservation Programmes

  • Conservation Programme: Yes
    Ex Situ Conservation Programme: Yes
    Reintroduction Programme: Yes

Research Programmes

  • Conservation - Biology: Yes
    Conservation - Genetics: Yes
    Ecology: Yes
    Ethnobotany: Yes
    Floristics: Yes
    Horticulture: Yes
    Molecular Genetics: Yes
    Systematics and Taxonomy: Yes

Education Programmes

  • Education Signs in Garden: Yes
    Public Lectures/Talks: Yes
    Education Booklets/Leaflets: Yes
    Guided Tours: Yes
    Permanent Public Displays: Yes
    Special Exhibitions: Yes
    Courses for School Children: Yes
    Courses for General Public: Yes
    Education Programme: Yes