The UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden is home to one of the most diverse collections of Mediterranean climate plants in the world, representing more than 300 plant families. The garden’s living collections include rare and threatened species of exceptional scientific value, with particular strengths in world conifers, primitive angiosperms, and bulb-forming plant families. Expansive displays of plants from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and California showcase species that are often not found in any other American botanical gardens or arboreta.
Through its Native Plant Program and Amah Mutsun Relearning Program, the Arboretum & Botanic Garden advances California plant conservation, seed banking, and botanical research, while supporting the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band in reviving traditional ecological knowledge and cultural practices. As a Center for Plant Conservation Participating Institution, the Arboretum collaborates with botanical organizations worldwide, positioning California as a leader in plant conservation.
Serving as both a living laboratory and outdoor classroom, the Arboretum & Botanic Garden connects science, education, and community—offering students, researchers, and visitors a place to explore, learn, and engage with the remarkable diversity of the plant world.
