Sukkulenten-Sammlung Zürich, literally

succulent plant In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meanin ...

collection of the city of

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

, is a botanical garden in the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of Zürich. It also houses a botanic library, a herbarium and the International Organizations for Succulent Plant Research (IOS).

Location

The greenhouses are located in district of Enge, on Zürichsee (Lake Zurich). They are a part of the Quaianlagen promenades, and are located on the southwestern lake shore. The collection is separated by the

Mythenquai Quaianalagen (German, plural; ; from ) or Seeuferanlagen (German, plural for lakeshore sites) on Lake Zurich is a series of lakefronts in Zurich, Switzerland. Inaugurated in 1887, the quaysides are considered an important milestone in the developm ...

road from the lower lake shore promenade and the Enge harbour area, at the park facilities of the Mythenquai lido near the lower entrance to the Rieterpark.

History

At the end of the 1920s, Jakob Gasser, a cactus grower from Zürich, tried to sell his collection of about 1,500 succulents to the city government of Zürich, but the venture failed. in 1929, Julius Brann Gassersche, a store owner, acquired the unique collection and made a gift of it to the city of Zürich. The collection was housed in the greenhouses at the former site of the municipal gardens (''Stadtgärtnerei'') at Mythenquai, and established as ''Städtische Kakteensammlung'', meaning urban cactus collection. Formally established in 1931, the collection houses one of the largest and most important collections of succulent plants. The main complex was built in 1947 and inaugurated in 1948. The succulent collection started in the existing greenhouse at Mythenquai, and was extended in 1948, 1954, 1961, 1984. In 2011, the entrance area was rebuilt and information for visitors improved. There are plans to redesign the Mythenquai area, including a renovation of the greenhouses.

Collection and structure

Succulents are plants from arid areas that survive by storing water, including

Agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the arid regions of the Americas. The genus is primarily known for its succulent and xerophytic species that typically form large Rosette (botany), rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves. Many plan ...

Aloe ''Aloe'' (; also written ''Aloë'') is a genus containing over 650 species of flowering plant, flowering succulent plant, succulent plants.WFO (2022): Aloe L. Published on the Internet;http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-4000001341. Acc ...

s and stonecrop family, in addition to Cacti and thick leaf plants. The collection features more than 6,500 different types of succulent plants from more than 80 different plant families of ''

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family (biology), family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan plants that ...

'', ''

Crassulaceae The Crassulaceae (, from Latin ''crassus'', thick), also known as the crassulas, the stonecrops or the orpine family, are a diverse Family (biology), family of dicotyledon angiosperms primarily characterized by succulent leaves and a form of phot ...

'', ''

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae (), the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of Euphorbia, the type genus of the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', ar ...

'', ''

Aizoaceae The Aizoaceae (), or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing 135 genera and about 1,800 species. Several genera are commonly known as 'ice plants' or 'carpet weeds'. The Aizoaceae are also referred to a ...

'', ''

Cactaceae A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

'' and ''

Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (, from '' Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison. Notable mem ...

''. The collection is funded by Grün Stadt Zürich and by the booster association, ''Förderverein der Sukkulenten-Sammlung Zürich''. Although internationally known for its scientific objectives, the Sukkulenten-Sammlung is perceived by the public as a collection. Periodic special displays provide an insight into the survival mechanisms used by succulents.

Facilities

Surrounded by a park on the lake, the facilities house over 25,000 exotic plants in about 6,500 species and varieties on , including in six greenhouses, 16 heated cold frame boxes and an outdoor area. The staff consists of nine employees who take care of 50,000 visitors annually. The greenhouses are open daily.

IOS library, database and herbarium

Since about 1947, the institution has been involved in an international seed exchange between botanical institutes and gardens around the world. Currently, there are more than 200 botanical gardens involved. In addition, Sukkulenten-Sammlung houses a specialized library on succulent plants. These books are not allowed to leave the library, but can be seen when the collection is open. The library contains more than 30,187 titles. The

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant biological specimen, specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sh ...

was founded in 1950, simultaneously with the International Organizations for Succulent Plant Research (IOS), and has an extensive archive of plants with approximately 20,000 specimens and a meticulous tracking database. It is now under the patronage of the Swiss

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

commission.

Förderverein association

Despite the uniqueness of the collection, in 1996 the municipal council (''Gemeinderat'') of the city of Zürich sought to either outsource the collection of succulents or to close the collection entirely. This political pressure led to the founding of the boosting association ''Förderverein der Sukkulenten-Sammlung Zürich''. The council then decided to suspend the motion, until it became clear whether the

Canton of Zürich The canton of Zurich is an administrative unit (Swiss canton, canton) of Switzerland, situated in the northeastern part of the country. With a population of (as of ), it is the most populous canton of Switzerland. Zurich is the ''de facto'' Capi ...

and the federal authorities would become involved in co-financing.

Cultural heritage of national importance

Sukkulenten-Sammlung Zürich is listed in the

Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance #REDIRECT Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance {{R from other capitalisation ...

as a ''Class A'' object of national importance.

Literature

* ''Gartenbiografien: Orte erzählen''. vdf Hochschulverlag AG, ETH Zürich, Zürich 2013, .

References

External links

*
Förderverein

IOSweb.org: International Organizations for Succulent Plant Research website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sukkulenten-Sammlung Zurich Botanical gardens in Switzerland Museums in Zurich Parks in Zurich Succulent plants Agricultural buildings in Switzerland Botanical research institutes Greenhouses Herbaria in Europe Libraries in Zurich Science libraries Buildings and structures in Zurich Buildings and structures completed in 1931 1931 establishments in Switzerland Organisations based in Zurich Tourist attractions in Zurich Scientific organizations established in 1950 1950 establishments in Switzerland Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Zurich District 2 of Zurich 20th-century architecture in Switzerland