There are documented records of plots for growing medicinal plants since the 16th century, closely related to medical education in the university, practised since 1462.

In 1548 a chair of medical practice was created, and a short time later (1560) teaching of “simples" or herbs was separated from that of anatomy, with independent departments.

In 1733, the University considered the possibility of an enclosure to be provided by the city, but not until 1757 did rector Lores directly propose a comprehensive botanical garden, complete with orchard, museum, teaching and conference space, and ancillary services, in a location near the Albereda avenue.

It is clear that this broader and more systematic concept of a botanical garden derived from the 18th-century development of the study of Botany as a science separate from Medicine.

In 1767 Gregori Maians called for the creation of a garden, to be run by the University's department of botany, to include the cultivation of plants of interest to medicine.

The Valencian Economic Society (Reial Societat Econòmica d’Amics del País de València),[nota 1] interested in crop improvements, was also seeking at this time to work with the city government to provide land for such a scientific facility, together with a public promenade (Albereda).

The city finally yielded the promised ground to the University in 1798, but planting was soon suspended, apparently due to the poor quality of the soil and the inconveniences caused to the adjacent promenade of the Albereda.

Lorente was also affected by these events: he was imprisoned and sentenced to death, and was saved only by the intervention of the French botanist Léon Dufour.

After a reform of the study programme in 1845, he received substantial resources for plantations and also for acclimatization installations, such as a large wooden greenhouse designed by the architect Timoteu Calvo, a conservatory and small heated spaces that, together, would accelerate dramatically the success and growth of the specimens.

Its size enables it to house such large plants as Astarapea, Aralia racemose (Araliaceae), Chorisia speciosa (Malvacae) or Ficus benjamina (Moraceae), which may measure more than 5m high and cannot be accommodated in most other greenhouses.

Planned in 1897 by the versatile Madrid architect Mélida Alinar in 1897, it was constructed of iron on a base of brick, and was inspired by the glass canopies of railway stations of the time.

The practical and experimental role of the plantations was enhanced in the context of the agricultural boom of that period, under the leadership of Rafael Cisternes (1867-1876) and Josep Arévalo Baca (1876-1888).

In 1878 the northern extension was opened, creating the present-day layout of the enclosure, whose juxtaposition with the streets Beat Gaspar Bono and Quart has remained unchanged since then.

Today, the Botanical Garden of the University provides a centre for scientific and teaching activities, a vegetated, architectural and historical space, and a feature of the urban landscape.