Tropical plants and flowers

A rare and outstanding botanical collection

Our plant collection, the main feature of our environmental reconstitution, is made up of several hundreds of species – often rare, namely from the Acanthaceae, Araceae, Heliconia and Orchidaceae family – and also of an especially rich Hibiscus collection, the extraordinary flowers of which bear highly evocative names: Hawaiian Sunset, Flamingo Star, Precious Nova, Yucatan or Ruby Rose. Special attention is paid to floral diversity and the presentation of useful tropical plants, species, fruits or perfume plants: pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, West Indian bay leaves, guavas, bananas, papayas, starfruit, Barbados cherries, vetiver grass, plumeria flowers, tiare flowers, gardenias. At first sight, the plants inside the Naturospace merely seem to form a beautiful tropical decor. Though actually, as in the forest, the relationship plants and butterflies entertain inside the garden are of vital importance. A significant number of plants you see in the garden, selected for their floriferous and nectariferous quality, mainly help feed full-grown butterflies. The trees, lianas, shrubs, collectible or ornamental tropical flowers or grasses provide humidity, oxygen and coolness. These plants form distinct climate zones in which different butterfly or bird species live. The sole purpose of certain plants, rarer and sometimes insignificant, is to serve as food for the caterpillars of what few butterflies are bred on the premises. Footpaths wind through the depths of the vast shrubberies and enable visitors to discover the heart of our tropical world. Botany enthusiasts can observe nearly 400 plants species spread across 70 families, most of which are labelled. Did you know?

We make the most of our annual closure in December and January to re-landscape the tropical garden. New greenery is planted, and certain shrubberies are remodelled so that our plants may be shown off to their best advantage.

 

The Naturospace Butterfly House is a member of the