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Science
Science
Visit Australia’s oldest scientific institution to learn about our latest scientific discoveries. We've been studying and documenting plant life in New South Wales and Australia for over 200 years.
Find out more
Our Work & Discoveries
National Herbarium of New South Wales
PlantClinic
Australian PlantBank
Daniel Solander Library
Our Science Staff
Vital Science
The Botanic Garden is a living lab. Home to some of the world's most valuable plant scientists, solving some of humanity's most vital challenges.
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Vital Science
The Botanic Garden is a living lab. Home to some of the world's most valuable plant scientists, solving some of humanity's most vital challenges.
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Branch Out
Branch Out with our new podcast and discover the surprising world of plants with science and stories from Australia’s oldest living scientific institution.
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Branch Out
Branch Out with our new podcast and discover the surprising world of plants with science and stories from Australia’s oldest living scientific institution.
Find out more
Plants
Plants
The Australian Botanic Garden is home to thousands of different plants. Learn more about our displays and the poeple that put them together.
Find out more
Natural Areas
Find a Plant
Flowering Calendar
Meet Our Team
Support Our Garden
Gardening
Flowering Calendar
Our plants are in bloom across the year. Find out which flowers are in bloom this month in our garden beds.
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Flowering Calendar
Our plants are in bloom across the year. Find out which flowers are in bloom this month in our garden beds.
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Learn more about the experts that maintain and develop the Garden's woodland, lawn and cultivated areas.
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Meet Our Team
Learn more about the experts that maintain and develop the Garden's woodland, lawn and cultivated areas.
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A world of discovery awaits primary students at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan. We offer a range of unique learning activities designed to engage and delight both you and your students.
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Primary Programs
A world of discovery awaits primary students at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan. We offer a range of unique learning activities designed to engage and delight both you and your students.
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Be amazed by the latest botanical discoveries! Our unique secondary science programs will engage and inspire your students.
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Be amazed by the latest botanical discoveries! Our unique secondary science programs will engage and inspire your students.
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Construction underway on new National Herbarium of NSW
NSW Ministers announced the commencement of construction of a new National Herbarium of NSW following an official sod turning at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan during National Science Week.
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Construction underway on new National Herbarium of NSW
NSW Ministers announced the commencement of construction of a new National Herbarium of NSW following an official sod turning at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan during National Science Week.
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The Australian Institute of Botanical Science
Discover how the new Australian Institute of Botanical Science will advance fundamental knowledge of flora and drive effective conservation solutions to ensure the survival of plants, and all life that depends on them.
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The Australian Institute of Botanical Science
Discover how the new Australian Institute of Botanical Science will advance fundamental knowledge of flora and drive effective conservation solutions to ensure the survival of plants, and all life that depends on them.
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Visit the Garden
Discover everything the Australian Botanic Garden has to offer. From walking trails, guided tours, our garden areas and more.
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Just for Kids
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Find your way around the Garden with our handy interactive map.
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Find your way around the Garden with our handy interactive map.
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There is always something happening at the Garden. Explore all our events and experiences.
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What's On
There is always something happening at the Garden. Explore all our events and experiences.
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Rainforest field work and expeditions
Rainforest field work and expeditions
The more we delve into the dense ecosystems of our rainforests, the more we realise just how little we know. Our dedicated team of ecologists, horticulturalists and botanists are working together to build one of the most valuable and broad libraries of knowledge about Australia and by extension the environment at large. The rainforests of NSW and Australia are incredibly complex and diverse. With the help of some of our experts we are beginning to draw a more complete picture of these fascinating ecosystems, such that we can design the best solutions to preserve them.
Understanding dispersal and encouraging growth
As external effects play on the vulnerabilities of our rainforests, truly understanding plant dispersal behaviours and their weakness is crucial to their conservation. Dr Maurizio Rossetto’s work in this area has been crucial. By combining hands-on fieldwork with the latest technologies, Dr Rossetto continues to make important progress. It’s only through his work that we’ve come to realise the vulnerabilities of large-fruited plants in rainforests and are able to find the tools to strengthen those vulnerabilities.
The importance of active fieldwork
One of the most effective ways to preserve the vulnerable flora of our rainforests is to collect and store the seeds. But rainforest seeds cannot be stored just like any other seed. Researchers go into the field, to collect, identify and research various plants to determine their storage potential.
Seedbank Officer Gavin Phillips spends three weeks of the month in the field, managing the seed collection program. It is through work such as his that we gain the crucial knowledge we need to conserve these rainforests.
Making discoveries
The extraordinary diversity of our rainforests is still vastly untapped. Systematic Botanist Dr Matt Renner, for example, has conducted three separate projects in the Wet Tropics of North Queensland in recent years and has come home with more than ten new species. If it weren’t for the vital fieldwork undertaken, we’d miss out on some exciting discoveries of recent years.