In the more than a dozen separate garden areas are a rain forest, a tropic conservatory, a bamboo collection, a cacti exhibit, a palm glade, a coastal habitat, a lowlands and a Mayan fruit orchard. More than 10,000 plants are nurtured on this verdant expanse, some are endangered and some, like the encephalartos woodii , already extinct in the wild. That, says Don Evans, horticultural director, is probably Fairchild's rarest plant. There are just a few around the world in gardens. Evans is working with researchers in Haiti to prevent a similar extinction of the attalea crassispatha.
Children explore a living, breathing museum.
Fairchild has more than that number in its own collection. Conservation and reintroduction of species are a major part of the facility's mission. It works with researchers throughout the world on biodiversity projects. Worldwide, with the continued destruction of wild areas, a collection like this is increasingly important for botanical and horticultural research. Before the turn of the century, Fairchild hadconvinced the USDA to establish a seed and plant introduction section.