Crops of the World Garden
Over the course of history, humans have used and interacted with plants for nourishment, health, textiles, spirituality, construction, and much more.
The Crops of the World Garden illustrates some of the many ways that plants have advanced human civilization. One of five ethnobotanical plant collections in the Garden, this area is focused on a diverse collection of culturally significant plants from around the world, cultivated for food and other uses. The plants are organized geographically by place of presumed wild origin.
Most of the species you’ll see are edibles—including fruits, grains, vegetables, and herbs. Others are valuable for other reasons, such as the intriguing cork oak (Quercus suber), a source for cork, or the mulberry tree used as food for silkworms.
This collection is intended as a museum demonstration garden, the representative crops are planted for display only. It’s not a production garden built at a scale for distribution. Here the plants grow through their entire life cycle, which means intentionally not harvesting them as one normally would for eating.
Collection Highlights
Banner image: Amaranth