Research and Teaching
The Botanical Garden is strongly involved in the education of students on the B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. levels. Students of many different disciplines are provided with the opportunity to get in touch with plant biodiversity. More than 10,000 plant species are cultivated in the Botanical Garden. Many important scientific collections and a herbarium with about 100,000 specimens are available. The Botanical Garden supports a wide range of research projects and scientists from various disciplines access its resources. The Institute of Organic Chemistry at Würzburg University, for example, screens tropical plants grown in the Botanical Garden for the presence of phytochemicals potentially useful in pharmaceutical preparations.
Scientific collection of bulb plants.
Mediterranean scrubland.
In a recently initiated project the Botanical Garden provides special opportunities for the education of students aspiring to become teachers. In a practical approach the students accompanied by scientists and didacticians learn how to develop and perform classes or guided tours for pupils of different ages and from different types of schools. This practical experience is intended to expand their practical teaching capabilities.
Conservation
In the Botanical Garden a considerable number of highly endangered species is cultivated. These so-called ex-situ projects are carried out in close collaboration with regional conservation authorities. The garden also holds important scientific collections of bulb plants e.g. of the genera Iris, Crocus, Cyclamen, Fritillaria, and Narcissus. Some of these rare and endangered species are propagated for re-introduction or population reinforcement.
