New Mexico State University Botanical Garden
Encyclopedia
The New Mexico State University Botanical Garden is a group of botanical garden
s, herbaria
, and agricultural facilities associated with New Mexico State University
in Las Cruces, New Mexico
.
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
s, herbaria
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
, and agricultural facilities associated with New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University at Las Cruces , is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States...
in Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
.
- Fabian Garcia Research Center - botanical garden, greenhouseGreenhouseA greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
, orchard, crop research fields, and turf demonstration plots.
- Mora Research Center - a small forest, about 49 acres (198,296.1 m²) of irrigated tree plantations, and several research greenhouses. Located in the Sangre de Cristo MountainsSangre de Cristo MountainsThe Sangre de Cristo Mountains are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States...
, it is one of New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
's leading forest genetics programs and conservation nurseries.
- Chile Pepper Institute Teaching and Demonstration Garden - over 150 varieties of chileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
from all of the main species of CapsicumCapsicumCapsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Its species are native to the Americas where they have been cultivated for thousands of years, but they are now also cultivated worldwide, used as spices, vegetables, and medicines - and have become are a key element in...
, including C. annuum, C. baccatum, C. chinense, and C. frutescens.
- New Mexico State University Herbarium (acronym NMC)— about 68,000 specimens mainly representing New Mexico and northern Mexico. Current research is on floristics of New Mexico and northern Mexico, and systematics of NyctaginaceaeNyctaginaceaeNyctaginaceae, the Four O'Clock Family, is a family of around 33 genera and 290 species of flowering plants, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few representatives in temperate regions...
, AstragalusAstragalusAstragalus is a large genus of about 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. The genus is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
, BoecheraBoecheraBoechera is a genus of the family Brassicaceae. It was named after the Danish botanist Tyge W. Böcher , who was known for his research in alpine plants, including the mustards Draba and Boechera holboellii...
, and Quercus.
- Range Science Herbarium (acronym NMCR)- about 18,000 specimens, roughly half grasses, emphasizing the flora of New Mexico, with special strength in Aristida and BothriochloaBothriochloaBothriochloa is a genus of grass in the Poaceae family. There are about 70 species found in tropical to warm temperate areas worldwide. They are often called beardgrass or bluestem.Species include:* Bothriochloa alta – tall beardgrass...
from western United States and northern Mexico. Also includes a beginning collection of about 170 mossMossMosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
es from New Mexico.