ABSTRACT:

The Missouri Botanical Garden, which first opened its gates to the public in 1859, is the second oldest botanical garden in the United States, the oldest having been founded by John Bartram in Philadelphia early in the 18th century. Located on more than 70 acres in the heart of St. Louis, it features a large Japanese garden, a climatically controlled geodesic dome for tropical plants and numerous other indoor and outdoor displays. The Garden, long associated with Washington University, and more recently with St. Louis University, the University of Missouri and Southern Illinois University, has been involved in the training of many botanists. Its library with more than 65,000 volumes and its herbarium of about 3 million specimens play an important role in systematic botany and horticulture.