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Еx situ Collection of Living Plants

 
Creation of the Ex situ collection of living plants began with the establishment of the Institute of Botany at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in 1948, and has been continuously enriched with the years. It consists of a greenhouse with a useful area of 200 sq. m, built opposite the building of the institute in Sofia, and open experimental areas. Initially, the outdoor collection was located near the village of Gorni Lozen, but due to administrative difficulties its maintenance there became impossible and after 2000 part of the specimens, representing as many species as possible, was transferred in close proximity to the greenhouse of the Institute. Thanks to several projects, the collection has been expanded and enriched and currently occupies 1300 sq.m.
 
The collection has been created for research and educational purposes, as well as for storage of genetic material from plant species of the Bulgarian flora. The greenhouse capacity is several thousand herbs, with the number of species and specimens varying depending on the ongoing projects. Ex situ outdoor collection includes various thematic sub-collections: over 100 species of medicinal and essential oil plants, small rock garden, collection of summer snowflake representative for all Bulgarian populations of the species, collection of several dozen species of plants of conservation importance: rare, endangered, endemic, medicinal, etc., mainly from the Bulgarian flora. Plant diversity is represented by several hundred plant species, and the total number of specimens is over 100,000, with grasses predominating, and some shrub and tree species as well.
 
Access to the collection is in line with its research and educational purposes. The access of researchers, including foreign colleagues, as well as students, is allowed after agreement with the curator and/or the head of the Institute, visitors being accompanied by the coordinator of the concerned project.

Address of collection:
IBER-BAS
23 Acad. G. Bonchev Street
1113 Sofia, Bulgaria.

Curator:
Assoc. Prof. Marina Stanilova

E-mail: marina.stanilova@gmail.com
Phone: +359 2 9792198 (office); +359 887559454 (mobile)