Musée et jardins botaniques cantonaux

Administered under the Service of cultural affairs of Vaud,[1] the botanic department engage in the study and protection of local flora, as well as in promoting public awareness in biodiversity and nature education in general.

In 1890, the collection was moved to the site of the newly constituted University of Lausanne, below the Faculty of Chemistry and Physics, rue de Couvaloup, where it was essentially used for the teaching of pharmacy and visited mainly by students.

In spite of the relative low altitude, 1260 meters, its situation at the entrance of the Vallon de Nant, a small glacier valley, induces a subalpine climate to the garden.

The family later made a business of collecting alpine plants in the mountains surrounding Bex and selling them to foreign collectors and gardens.

Over 3000 plant species are presented in the 70 rock gardens, covering over one hectare, and grouped according to geographical origin representing all the alpine and related regions of the world.

[8] The surface of the garden is basically flat but covered with small artificial hills, which allow cultivation on different exposures and in a variety of habitats.

Several ponds as well as a stream have been created and on the Eastern part, there is a spontaneous forest of European Spruce with large rocks, ferns and mosses.

He was succeeded by Rodolphe Blanchet, Jean-Balthazar Schnetzler, Louis Favrat, Ernest Wilczek, Arthur Maillefer, Florian Cosandey, Peter Villaret and Gino Müller.

In 1874, it was transferred to the "Moravian House", rue Saint-Etienne below the cathedral, and in 1905, to the newly constructed Palais de Rumine along with all of the natural history collections of the canton.

Although it consists mainly of specialized works and focuses primarily on the acquisition of floras and monographs in systematic botany, books destined for the amateur can also found.

Recent shows include: Diaspora, about fruit and seed dispersal; The painted herbarium of Rosalie de Constant; Au Rendez-vous des Arbres, photos of remarkable trees; and Wild flowers in the city.