Joseph-Gottlieb Kölreuter Institute for Plant Sciences

April-September Mo-Fr 8-16, So 10-16, October-March Mo-Fr 8-15, So 10-14, entrance free! How to find us

WHY THE KIT NEEDS A GARDEN - OUR PROFILE

News

EVENTS

• Streifzug durch Bhutan, Sonntag 05.03.2023 (Quartier Zukunft), 17:00 Vortrag von Dr. Heiko Hentrich

• Conservation Gardening, Sonntag 23.04.2023, 11:15-12:30 Workshop mit Dipl. Biol. Maren Riemann

Can we protect species from extinction, by maintaining them in seed banks or in Botanical Gardens? Actually, species are not fixed entities, but flow along their evolutionary path. Is a glass of water the same thing as a river? Certainly not. Could we not plant endangered species in many gardens and, thus, not only save from extinction, but also keep them flowing? This is the central idea of Conservation Gardening. Critics fear that this might cause the loss of species identity. An exciting discussion. Develop your own opinion during this workshop.

Only after Registration.

Virtual Garden. We have developed during the Corona time several virtual offers that are still available:

• Virtual tours through the garden (Maren Riemann)...

• Winter Excursion in the Hartwald (interactive app to stroll around, Maren Riemann)
• Every plant has a story to tell (ZKM, Uriel Orlow, Lili Carr, Peter Nick)
• the Botanical Garden - sustainable from the beginning (Verein der Freunde des Gartens, 9 min)
• Plants playing tricks (Uni für Einsteiger, 20 min)
• Hidden Healing Powers, Fig Leaf Tea (Rolf Bormuth, 6 min)
• Botany to Grip ("Green School", Marcel Göritz, Luca Wetzel, 30 min)
• Little Dandilion - Herbs and Healing ("Green School", Sofie Wirth, Annabell Stutz, Helen Schleifer, Giannina Fleischer, 15 min)

And here you can reach the PAGES OF THE GARDEN ASSOCIATIONS.

Plant of the Month: Saffron

March: It is known as the most expensive spice of the world - no wonder, one needs to pull the appendices of the style to generate by cumbersome effort a bit of saffron. This Crocus species is cultivated, where it is dry and where labour is cheap. Big producers are Iran and Afghanistan, but also Marocco and in former times also Andalusia. Not astonishingly, True Saffron is rare and surrogated by many things, often even completely replaced by fake products. It lends a beautiful gold colour during cooking and baking - "Saffron gives yellow to the cake" runs an old nursery rhyme. It cannot be drawn from seeds, because it is triploid, i.e., it has three chromosome sets, and, therefore, needs to be propagated by brood bulbs.

Especially in Persian medicine, Saffron is highly valued. The decisive aroma compound, the aldehyde safranal, is responsible for the antidepressive effect of Saffron. Safranal blocks the breakdown of the messenger compound serotonin in our synapses, such that the serotonin levels rise and one feels better again.

What to see?

Succulent house: Zulu Potato (image) . Venus Fly Trap . Lemon Myrtle .

Freiland: Goji Berries (South) . Giant Redwoode . Alpine Violets .

Entrance: Antler Fern . Baby-Papaya . Pitcher Plants .

Palm House: Wollemy Pine . . Cubebe Pepper .

Tropical House: Galagant flowers . Pandan . Ear Pepper .

Waterlily House: Water Banana Typhonodorum . Bananas . Mangroves

Fascinating Plants

Pflanzen sind voller Geheimnisse und helfen uns, die Welt mit neuen Augen zu sehen. Überraschende Blickwinkel auf den Flickr-Seiten von Maren Riemann.