Learning + Outdoors

The first area visitors will see upon entering the Botanic Garden SP is the

Fernando Costa Avenue, lined by Jerivás (Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham.) Glassman), a native Brazilian palm tree.

Along the Avenue, guests are invited on a 250-meters long deck, made of reclaimed wood, from where they can see the native flora as well as the clear waters of the Pirarungaua Creek — its spring is located in the Atlantic rainforest and its waters join the Ipiranga Stream.

On the Avenue’s right is a large grass area with several plants from the Garden’s collection, and at the end of the deck are restrooms and the restaurant.

The Avenue is named after Dr. Fernando Costa, Agriculture, Industry and Commerce Secretary who supported the funding and development of the Botanical Garden SP. The Pirarungaua Creek was piped for over 70 years, since 1945, and in 2008 it was reincorporated into nature, which contributed tremendously to the Garden’s entrance.

The Museum’s construction process began in 1940, and its inauguration was in 1942, honoring the centennial of Dr. João Barbosa Rodrigues, which gives the space its name.

Divided into five rooms, the space allows visitors to learn about the Botanical Garden SP’s history, Brazil’s botany, and the importance of scientific research to preserve our biodiversity. Hoehne’s vision was that the Museum would be a center for education, communication, and the promotion of science.

Panels, objects and dioramas on Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga (Ipiranga State Park), Dr. Frederico Carlos Hoehne’s research materials are distributed throughout the Museum’s rooms. There are also illustrations, informative videos, documentaries, and more for visitors to learn about the biome and the Atlantic rainforest.

There have been some renovations done since its inauguration, but the Museum still has its original stained glass ceiling portraying the natural flora as well as the eight external panels in terracotta projected by Hoehne himself.

Opening Hours: Weekends and public holidays, 10 AM-4 PM. Not open on rainy days.

Lineu’s Garden was developed in 1920, inspired by the Uppsala University’s gardens in Sweden where famous botanist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) worked. Linnaeus is considered the founder of taxonomy, a biology area created in the 18th century to organize and classify living creatures that we use until the present day.

For many years, it was the space that people associated immediately with the Botanical Garden SP: its renaissance style, symmetrical design, and native plants that Hoehne included to highlight the local flora.

There is a reflecting pool, two greenhouses, pergolas, staircases, paths, fields, flowerbeds, and Palmeto, all surrounded by areas of the Atlantic rainforest.

Dr. Frederico Carlos Hoehne had a special interest in orchids since he was a child. Self-taught, he explored the Brazilian flora and built a remarkable career as a botanist. Hoehne went on expeditions, carried out scientific research, illustrated books, and coordinated several other projects throughout his 47 years in public service in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

While managing the Botanical Garden SP, he commanded the construction of two greenhouses between 1928-1929, each 26 meters long and 12 meters wide. At first, one was meant to display temporary orchid exhibits, while the other carried a permanent display of the Atlantic rainforest flora.

Today, they represent the state of São Paulo’s biome: one is the Cerrado (Brazilian savannah), and the other, is the Atlantic Rainforest.

Opening Hours: Weekends and public holidays, 10 AM-4 PM

* Atlantic Rainforest Greenhouse: open.

**Cerrado Greenhouse: temporarily closed.

Dr. Frederico Carlos Hoehne’s orchid nursery started it all: now located in between the two greenhouses, it displays several orchid species.

The scientific collection that started the nursery was moved to a restricted area in the 70s, and since then exposed in the pergolas are species from all over Brazil. Besides orchids, there are several bromeliads from scientific projects from different regions.

Behind the greenhouses is Palmeto, a space with the first palm trees to come to the Botanical Garden SP. Dr. Frederico Carlos Hoehne started the collection in 1933 aiming to show the Garden’s visitors all the beauty of both commercial and ornamental palm trees.

In the garden, they serve as food to many animals as well, and guests can often see tucanos-de-bico-verde (toucans) and other birds among the palm trees’ branches, searching for the best piece of fruit.

Ninfeias Lake is the largest in the Garden, formed by damming of some contributing springs to the Ipiranga Stream between 1929-1930. Currently, it is home to Ninfeia amarela (Nymphaea mexicana Zucc.), Ninféia-azul (Nymphaea caerulea Savigny), Ninfeia rosa (Nymphaea odorata Aiton), and butterflies, fireflies, turtles, fishes and common gallinule (Gallinula galeata).

It is one of the most beautiful sights in the Garden.

This grove is home to Imbuias (Ocotea porosa (Nees & Mart.) Barroso), native trees of the Paraná state, donated to the Botanical Garden SP in March 1931. Currently, it is an endangered species due to its wood being desired for luxury furniture.

This is a lake formed by one of the many springs within the Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga – PEFI (Ipiranga State Park). Here calmness and quietness are prominent and only one sound breaks them every so often: Bugio monkeys (Alouatta guariba clamitans) talking among themselves while passing through the area.

Next to Bugios Grove is the Historical Gate, from 1894 and officially a Botanical Garden SP monument since 1973. Right across from the gate is the Aquatic Garden, built by Dr. Frederico C. Hoehne in 1947 to house floating and stationary aquatic plants. Currently, there are over 80 compartments in the garden with a vast diversity of plants and microscopic algae.

At the end of a lengthy meadow is the Passuarés Grove, named after the trees in the area: Passuarés (Tachigali denudata (Vogel) Oliveira-Filho), another Atlantic Rainforest native. The grove is inviting for guests who can lounge in the grass, catch some much-needed sunlight, have picnics, and much more. It’s a little oasis for those who live in a bustling city like São Paulo.

Next up is the Garden of the Senses, which has its name because of the different aromas in the air. This space was built for stimulation and to show beyond what meets the eye. Here’s a different way to recognize nature: through textures, the scent of flowers, and different flavors. Aromatic plants have the potential to retrieve memories and arouse feelings and sensations. Spaces such as the Garden of the Senses are wonderful ways to connect with oneself, one another, and the environment around us.

The Bamboo Tunnel is one of the paths available to continue your journey. The bamboo plants form a tunnel and cool down the air quite a bit, as well as create a real musical symphony. You just have to slow down to listen.

Opened in 1979 to preserve the native, endangered Pau-Brasil (Paubrasilia echinata Lam.), this grove grants guests the opportunity to see up close the tree that lends its name to our country.

Here, a drenched piece of land becomes a natural swamp with plenty of plants and animals that are masters of living in such conditions. Another important step in the visitors’ learning journey.

Arboreto is a vast grove with many tree species originating from different parts of the world. This is a great area to take nature’s magnitude in. It’s right next to Von Martius Avenue and there are some restrooms here, too, if you need a bathroom break.

This is the beginning of the other side of the Botanical Garden SP. Built in 1938, Von Martius Avenue is flanked by native and exotic species that put on quite a show during blooming Spring. Leaving the Box Office, to the right side of the Avenue, there is a grass area with gardens and three lakes, a project of landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx. To the left, the Historical Main House; the Jequitibá Event Space; two other event spaces; Arboreto, and of course, the Atlantic Rainforest.

This Avenue, where many visitors exercise during the early hours of the morning, is named after German naturalist doctor and botanist Karl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, who visited Brazil in 1917. His research paper Flora Brasiliensis, the result of his trip is used as a reference today regarding the Brazilian flora.

The Three Lakes landscape was built in 1970-1972 and is right by Von Martius Avenue. Visitors can spot birds such as white herons, ducks, geese, and other migratory birds in the area.

The meadow around the lakes provides a great contrast to the urban backdrop and Miguel Estefno Avenue. Along the sides are beautiful cherry trees that blossom every winter, as well as Jerivás.