Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden located at 900 South Palm Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. The Gardens are located on the grounds of the former home of Marie and William Selby. Flora. The Gardens feature preserved collections of epiphytes, feature more than 20,000 living plants including 5,500 orchids, 3,500 bromeliads and 1,600 other plants. The living collection is accompanied by an herbarium, with dried and preserved specimens of tropical flora; the world's second-largest spirit collection consisting of vials of mostly orchid flowers in preservative fluids; and a library. More than 150  expeditions to the tropics and subtropics have contributed to these collections. Selby Gardens' botanists have discovered or described more than 2,000 plant species previously unknown to science. The Gardens maintain banyans, bamboo, live oaks, palms, mangroves, succulents, wildflowers, cycads, bromeliads, a butterfly garden, a fragrance garden, an edible garden, and a koi pond, on a site bordering Sarasota Bay. The interactive Ann Goldstein Children's Rainforest Garden is designed to help children develop a lifelong appreciation for rainforest plants. Divisions. Major divisions of the Gardens are as follows: Selby Gardens Research Library (Research Library). The Selby Gardens Research Library began  with a request made from William Cole's estate in 1973. Building the research library was part of the requirement when planning and building the Selby Botanical Gardens and began acquiring the book collection even before the Botanical Gardens opened to the public. It is considered to be one of the finest, most respected botanical libraries in the United States, with many scientists from all over the world coming to visit the numerous collections. Since the library opened in 1975, many people have contributed to the growing collection of botanical research, including collections from L.O. Williams, Dr. Helen Miller, and  Dr. Bruce McAlpin. The library is primarily a research tool and reference for scientists and horticulturalists, along with amateur plant enthusiasts. A searchable catalogue of the collection is available online for viewing. The library is only open on Monday (9 am to 12 pm) and on Friday (1 pm to 4 pm). It is open to the general public but an appointment must be made ahead of time to view and use the collection. Also, no materials can be checked out to the general public. For members and volunteers, they can visit the library during library hours and check out  books and journal collections for a two-week period. Selby Botanical Gardens Press. The Selby Botanical Gardens Press publishes the research journal Selbyana – The Journal of The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, botanical books, proceedings, field guides, and posters. "Selbyana" (, ), published since 1975, is a peer-reviewed scientific journal issued twice a year, focusing on research on canopy biology and tropical plants, especially epiphytes. This includes many papers on gesneriads, including valuable contributions by Hans Wiehler and Larry Skog, bromeliads and orchids. Barancik Foundation Grant. In 2018 the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation in Sarasota, Florida, announced that it had awarded a  $2 million grant to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, in support of its greening-focused master plan and sustainability going forward.