The Manie van der Schijff Botanical Garden was formally established in 1934 and is managed by the University of Pretoria.

The garden had its beginnings in 1924 when the first Pavetta species were planted on the campus for research purposes, and the first cycads were added to the botanical collections of the university.

In the 1930s however, Berend Elbrecht's enthusiasm and passion for southern African flora gave the impetus for the planting of a number of tree and cycad species during his tenure.

[1] The garden houses the bulk of the university's cycad collection, managed by its own curator, and is involved in active horticultural research with such new installations as the rainwater harvesting garden and the cremnophyte based green walls of the new Plant Science building.

[1] Aims of the garden include awareness of southern African flora through dissemination and acquisition of botanical knowledge, provision of plant material for education and research, collection and propagation of rare species, as well as research into southern African plants with horticultural potential.