UC Davis Botanical Conservatory Resumes Popular Rare-Plant Sales
Houseplant aficionados, start your engines! More than 60 species of tropical plants—including some rare species, carnivorous plants, succulents, and more—will be on offer on Saturday, April 19 from 10:00am until 2:00pm at bargain prices, as the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory resumes its highly popular plant sales.
Conservatory curator Marlene Simon says the most sought-after and unusual plant for sale will be Welwitschia mirabilis, a unique species that can live for hundreds of years in its native habitat. Thought to be a relic of the Jurassic period, it’s found in the wild in isolated pockets along the coast of Namibia and Angola, where the moisture of marine fog is a critical water source.
But as distinctive as it is, Welwitschia is just one of the fascinating species nurtured in the Botanical Conservatory, which holds specimens representing some 280 plant families—nearly half of the 600 plant families found in the world.