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All the United States California San Francisco San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers
AO Edited

San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers

Carnivorous plants, medieval aphrodisiacs, and the largest original wood structure glass conservatory in the western hemisphere.

San Francisco, California

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Annetta Black
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Nepenthes pitcher plants - beautiful killers   Annetta Black/Atlas Obscura
Inside the dome   Annetta Black/Atlas Obscura
Green pitcher plants   Annetta Black/Atlas Obscura
Inside the East Wing at the Conservatory of Flowers   Annetta Black/Atlas Obscura
  color flow / Atlas Obscura User
December   color flow / Atlas Obscura User
These lily pads are enormous!   Laurynn / Atlas Obscura User
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beautiful place!!!   emilylovelady / Atlas Obscura User
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Winter time   jyackabonis / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The recently restored Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park hosts over 2,000 plant varieties, including a collection of tropical carnivorous pitcher plants.

The East Wing is dominated by the aquatic plants pond, home to giant Amazon Lilies, the largest of which are strong enough to support the weight of a child. Climbing overhead, the Nepenthes pitcher plants (also known as 'monkey cups') survive on a diet of insects lured into their flower like opening, then trapped by the slick walls and lowered into a stew of digestive enzymes in the base of the cup. Named for the mythological elixir of the Egyptians given to Helen of Troy to erase her sorrows in Homer's Odyssey, the name means 'without sorrow' in Greek.

According to the Conservatory information: "In some cultures, the pitchers have been used as vessels for cooking rice or gathering water. The sterile fluid from unopened pitchers reportedly has been used as an eyewash, asthma reliever or painkiller during childbirth. Various parts of the plant have also been used to treat indigestion, heartburn, stomach ailments and dysentery."

The building itself was first discovered in parts amongst the property of a wealthy local business man who died before it could be built. It was donated to the city, opened a year later in 1879, and is now the oldest wood & glass conservatory in western hemisphere. It suffered extensive damage from storm winds in 1995, and the the building was closed for several years while restoration efforts were underway. It was named one of the 100 most endangered sites of the World Monuments Fund, and was part of the national Save America's Treasures program. It was restored and reopened in 2003.

Related Tags

James Lick Glass Conservatories Carnivorous Plants Plants

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Easily visible from the road on JFK Drive through Golden Gate Park.

August 2021: Admission for adults is $10. 

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Added By

Annetta Black

Edited By

Laurynn, the wub, delapazanna, emilylovelady...

  • Laurynn
  • the wub
  • delapazanna
  • emilylovelady
  • Abstergail
  • jyackabonis
  • color flow
  • kimballpc

Published

June 27, 2009

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Sources
  • Article on Nepenthes - carnivorous pitcher plants
  • http://www.conservatoryofflowers.org/plantcollections/archive_nepenthes.htm
  • Article on Coco de Mer - Medieval aphrodisiac nut
  • http://www.conservatoryofflowers.org/plantcollections/archive_cocodemer.htm
  • general history and fact sheet
  • http://www.conservatoryofflowers.org/press/alivingmuseum.htm
  • http://travelphotodiscovery.com/gardens-in-golden-gate-park-at-san-francisco/
San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers
100 John F Kennedy Drive
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California, 94118
United States
37.772614, -122.460265
Visit Website
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