News

October 24 Presentation The seed of the rubber tree by Redmond O’Hanlon

19-09-2017

Deep in the Amazonian rainforest grew a solitary tree. From its bark flowed a milky white sap that changed the world: rubber. It was Sir Henry Alexander Wickham (1846-1928) who was commissioned by the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew to smuggle seeds from the rubber-bearing tree out of Brazil and bring them to London. From Kew Gardens seedlings were dispatched to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and Malaya (Malaysia) thus bringing an end to the Brazilian monopoly on rubber production. During this lecture author and explorer Redmond O’Hanlon will talk about the treacherous journey Henry Wickham undertook to obtain rubber seeds of the Hevea brasiliensis.

Location:
Lipsius building
Zaal 019
Cleveringaplaats 1
Leiden

Time: 19.30 – 20.30
Access: free

Redmond O’Hanlon is British author, explorer and documentary maker

Following this presentation another presentation will be given in Dutch about crownjewels in the beginning years of botany as science.

9 - 10 september 2017: Farmers, citizens end countrymen

05-09-2017

In the weekend of 9 and 10 September 2017, 33 Leiden monuments open their doors to the public. This is a unique opportunity to visit old buildings rich with history, ancient homes and university buildings. In many monuments there are small exhibitions and performances by Leiden choirs. This year’s theme is Farmers, Citizens and Countrymen; the monuments you can visit have traditionally been places where people of all ranks and positions meet, both inside and outside the city.
You can start with a coffee at the Hortus botanicus Leiden at 10 or finish at our place and buy some bulbs!

Extra crowded Aug. 31 between 11-13 oçlock

29-08-2017

Next Thursday 1500 international students will visit the Hortus on behalf of the Orientation Week Leiden. Students can enter and leave the Hortus botanicus Leiden via the Sterrenwachtlaan (bridge). Bicycles can be parked at Plexus. The main entrance is open for individual visitors.

Guided tour Indonesian orchids on August 30th, 19.30 h

11-08-2017

Japanese biology student Izai Kikuchi is specialised in orchids. This evening he shows you beautiful and special specimens, with extra focus on the orchids from Indonesia. English language. Fully booked.

Exhibition Carnivorous plants 11-20 August

11-08-2017

From 11 to 20 August a great variety of carnivorous plants is displayed on various locations in the Hortus. Children (and adults) can feed plants. In addition to this carnivorous plants are on sale from 11 - 13 August.

Free guided tour on Thursdays

31-07-2017

In August you can visit the Hortus and get a free guided tour through the gardens and greenhouses. The tours are in English and in Dutch. The English tours start at 16:00.

European Exhibition and Exchange 2017 - Carnivorous congress 11-13 August

04-07-2017

This year the international carnivorous plants congress will be held in the Hortus Leiden. From 11 – 13 August the Hortus will be all about the strange, interesting and beautiful little plants that have stirred the imagination of men since their discovery in the 18th century. Since the Hortus celebrates the 200-year birthday of the Kebun Raya Bogor, the emphasis will be on Indonesian carnivorous plants.

Paul Keβler professor by special appointment

28-02-2017

Professor Paul Keβler, prefect of the Leiden Hortus botanicus, holds the special chair Botanical gardens and botany of South-East Asia since 1 February 2017.

Hortus closed for Christmas Holidays

20-12-2016

The Hortus botanicus will be closed for the Christmas Holidays, from 24 December until 2 January. On January 3th you are most welcome again to visit the gardens and the greenhouses. In 2017 the Hortus also celebrates the Leiden Asia Year and every visitor will receive a free recipebooklet with recipes from Onno Kleyn. At first these recipes are only in Dutch but you can download an English version here shortly.

27 October: Lecture Carl Peter Thunberg

07-10-2016

On October 27 Jesper Kårehed will give a lecture in English on Carl Peter Thunberg. The lecture is in English.

Open heritage days 2016

31-08-2016

In the weekend of 10 and 11 September the Hortus will be open for the Heritage Days Leyden. In this weekend the oldest botanical garden in The Netherlands will be freely accessible for everybody. Come and enjoy the beautiful garden, and, of course, the monumental glasshouses and Oranjerie (1744).

24 August: Lecture Japanese vegetables and cereals

11-07-2016

Shantonu Abe Chatterjee from Japan, a student at Wageningen University, is writing a thesis on the manuscripts about Japanese vegetables and cereals in the Von Siebold collection: the ‘Agricultural Encyclopaedia’ written by Seikei Zusetusu (1793), which include 134 botanical plates of Japanese vegetables and cereals.