Faculty of Tropical AgriScience

About Botanical Garden
Development and History
Division of the Botanical Garden
Members
Fotogalerie
How to find us?

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About Botanical Garden

The Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU) was planned and constructed as an integral part of the complex of the University of Agriculture in Prague. The Botanical Garden began operating on 1.1.1968. The original title of the Botanical Garden was The Greenhouses of the Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture (ITSA). In the years 1972-1973 the first non-standard greenhouse was built. It contains a collection of thermophilic plants planted under the direction of Prof. Pospíšil. In 1972, the Botanical Garden published an Index seminum and began cooperating with other former Czechoslovak and foreign botanical gardens. This collaboration greatly enriched its range of mainly annual crops, medicinal and technical plants. Today, the Botanical Garden cooperates with more than 200 botanical gardens and research institutions worldwide.

The Botanical Garden became a member of the Union of Botanical Gardens in 2011. The Botanical Garden has a unique and comprehensive collection of crop plants from the tropics and subtropics. The collection includes plants used for direct consumption, i.e. fruit, vegetables, cereals, legumes and root crops. Visitors can also see medicinal, aromatic and textile plants, as well as stimulatory food and spices. This collection is used for specialist courses taught at the Faculty of Tropical Agriculture and other faculties at CZU. Guided tours for pupils, students and public are also organized.

Opening hours:

Monday - Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Botanical Garden can be visited after a prior appointment.

English guided tours are available. The price of the guided tour is 300 Kč(CZK) without any other fee.

The maximum capacity is 15 people per tour.

The Botanical Garden is located in the CZU campus. Viz. photo. The Botanical Garden is closely adjacent to the Complex of Greenhouses of the Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources. The easiest way to find it is to go to the new Pavilion of Tropical Agriculture. The Botanical garden is just behind it.
How to get to the Botanical Garden of FTA:
Take a bus (to number 107/147) from Station Dejvická and go to the station Zemědělská univerzita.

Development and History

The Botanical Garden of Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CULS) was built simultaneously with the whole complex of the University of Agriculture in Prague. The of Botanical Garden began operating on 1.1. 1968. The original name for the Botanical Garden was the Greenhouses of the Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture (ITSA). The Botanical Garden became a member of the Union of Botanical Gardens in 2011. On 1 January 2013, Institute of Tropics and Subtropics (ITS) became the Faculty of Tropical Agriculture (FTA), which resulted in the transformation of the Botanical Garden´s name. The Botanical Garden of the Institute of Tropics and Subtropics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague was transformed into the Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.

The Botanical Garden was originally designed for Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture and Faculty of Agriculture. The Botanical Garden consisted of experimental, working and instructional areas. Over time, a specialized collection of crop plants from all over the world was formed. The subtropical greenhouse was the first planted greenhouse. Planted there were plants which required lower temperatures during the winter season (especially citrus fruits imported from the Crimea by prof. František Pospíšil). During the years 1972-1973 the first non-standard greenhouse was built. It contains a collection of thermophilic plants planted according to the plans of Prof. Pospíšil. Planting was carried out with the help of a team of scientists, teachers, technicians and manual workers. A comprehensive collection of crop plants from the tropics and subtropics, unique in Czechoslovakia, was created there. This collection was intended mainly for students from all over the world and associations of growers of tropical and subtropical plants. It was a this time that the Botanical Garden was opened to the public.

In 1972, ITSA published an Index seminum and began to cooperate with other Czechoslovak and foreign botanical gardens. Advertising their own seed collection, the Botanical Garden agreed to the free exchange of seeds with other botanical gardens all around the world. This collaboration greatly enriched its range of mainly annual crops and medicinal and technical plants.

The department of Crop Production ITSA required a greenhouse both for scientific work and to locate its collection of rare species, and a table greenhouse was therefore built in 1975.

At that time, annual thermophilic crops, especially cereals, legumes, some less known vegetables and technical plants were grown in two plastic greenhouses which were not equipped with heating. The crop collection was extended with seeds of crops, brought by scientists from their business trips around the world. Another source of new seeds were research institutes all over the world (mainly gene banks). Included in the Botanical Garden was an experimental field where less well-known vegetables and plants used for students experiments were grown .

Until 1982, the Head of Greenhouses was Mrs. Alena Rozinková. Mrs. Gabriela Struhárová, MSc. was Head of Greenhouses for less than a year. From 1982 to 1985 the Gead of Greenhouses was Mrs. Marie Hlaváčová. In 1985 Zdeněk Hlaváč, MSc. replaced Mrs. Hlaváčová. Up until 1989, world agriculture was taught exclusively to foreign students. During the nineties, the composition of the student body changed, with a growing majority of Czech students. In the Botanical Garden teaching is carried out not only for students of the FTA but also for students of the other faculties of the CULS Prague (Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology and the Faculty of Environment).

The Botanical Garden is subdivided according to the temperature requirements of the plants and working methods into:

Tropical Greenhouse, Subtropical Greenhouse, Table Greenhouse, Lysimetric Greenhouse, Mixed Greenhouse, Plastic Greenhouses, Medicinal Plants.

The Tropical and Subtropical Greenhouses are open to the public.

Division of the Botanical Garden

TROPICAL GREENHOUSE

Area 240 m2
Temperature in winter 16-20°C (during the night)

It is in the Tropical Greenhouse that our collection of tropical plants is located. The gene pool of these plants is used for the tuition of students, for exchanging plant material with other botanical gardens, and plants are used as mother plants of those crop species which are used for scientific work and theses. About 110 crop species are grown in soil in the Tropical Greenhouse. Visitors can see plants species that are used for consumption, stimulatory food, spices, medicinal plants, textile plants, cereals and tuber crops. Representatives of these groups include bananas, mangoes, pineapples, passion fruit, papaya, vanilla, cacao, coffee, cinnamon, pepper and many others. This greenhouse is open to the public.

In the summer of 2013, the glazing of the greenhouse was reconstructed, thanks to the support of the CZU management.

SUBTROPICAL GREENHOUSE

Area 150m2
Temperature in winter 5-10°C (during the night)

The Subtropical Greenhouse is similar in specialization to the Tropical Greenhouse but with a different range of species. A collection of 40 crop species are grown there. These species require low temperatures in winter. The main species found in the Subtropical Greenhouse are citrus species and less well-known crop species. These plants regularly come into blossom and bear fruit (fig trees, pomegranates, loquats, kiwi, persimmon, etc.). The collection is complemented by tea plants, pistachios, macadamia trees, olive trees, laurel trees and many other species of subtropical crops. This greenhouse is also open to the public.

TABLE GREENHOUSE

Area 190 m2
Temperature in winter 16-20°C (during the night)

The Table Greenhouse is used mainly for the preparation of plant material for theses and scientific work and as a storage house for plant reserves. Also grown there are crops which are sensitive to the conditions and can not be grown in the Tropical Greenhouse. The plants are grown in containers.

Lysimetric GREENHOUSE

Area 96 m2
Temperature in winter 5-10°C (during the night)

This greenhouse is used to keep an assortment chosen from our citrus collection. The citrus plants are grown in containers.

SORTIMENT GREENHOUSE

Area 150 m2
Temperature in winter 5-10°C (during the night)

In large part, this greenhouse is used for growing a range of plants in containers. These plants are important for teaching FTA students. They learn how to graft, cut, sow, graft and replant crop and ornamental plants. This experience can be used in theses, in practice and in scientific work.

PLASTIC GREENHOUSE

There are two greenhouses made out of polycarbonate, each with area of 120m2.
They are used to growing a range of annual crops (e.g. technical plants, thermophilic legumes, cereals, spices, vegetables, etc.) Other areas are used for diploma research and scientific work.

MEDICINAL PLANTS

More or less well-known medicinal plants are planted outdoors in concrete "U" profile grids and are used for specialist courses taught at the CULS (e.g. For the "Medicinal and Aromatic Plants" course).

Members

Head

Daníčková AnežkaIng.

danickova@ftz.czu.cz

Assistant manager

Moučková SoňaBc.

mouckova@ftz.czu.cz
+420 224 382 887

Javůrek Václav

Hlaváč ZdeněkIng.

hlavac@ftz.czu.cz
+420 224 382 887

Hlaváčová Marie

+420 224 382 887

Jelínková EvaMgr.

Klimentová Aneta DiS.

Kudrnová MichaelaIng.

+420 224 382 887

Langrová Marie

Procházková (Dvořáková) ZdislavaIng. Ph.D.

dvorakovaz@ftz.czu.cz
+420 224 382 887

Šimůnková PetraIng.

Urbanová LadislavaBc.

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