Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden

United States of America - Oklahoma - Oklahoma City

Garden Information

Institution Code: OHOMA

BGCI Member: Yes

Oklahoma City Zoo & Botanical Garden

About the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden

The botanical garden at the Oklahoma City Zoo was established in 1998 through the American Association of Museums accreditation process creating the botanical garden and a living museum. The botanical collecting began in 1980 with over 6,000 permanent specimens from nearly 150 plant families, including over 2,000 species and 23 designated horticultural collections. The botanical garden at the Oklahoma City Zoo encompasses 140 acres of tree canopy, gardens, water bodies, and animal exhibits. This unique and distinctive environment is characterized by the ancient and historic Cross Timbers ecosystem. This ecotone is described as where the eastern Oklahoma deciduous forest meets the mixed grass prairie of western Oklahoma. Stands of Post Oak (Quercus stellata) and Blackjack Oak (Quercus marilandica) form a dense canopy across the gardens. Many fragments of the historic Cross Timber ecosystem can be seen in ancient pockets of Post Oak groves scattered throughout the gardens. Many champion Oak trees live in the gardens and several are well over 100 years old.

Main Address:
Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden
2101 NE 50TH ST.
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma 73111 United States of America

Telephone: (405) 425-0247
Fax: (405) 425-0215
URL: www.okczoo.org
Primary Email: Choffman@okczoo.org

Staff Details

Director's Name: Dwight Lawson, Executive Director/CEO
Curator's Name: Christopher Hoffman, Director of Botanical Garden
Plant Records Officer's Name: Christopher Hoffman, Director of Botanical Garden
Total Staff:
Horticultural Staff Number: 4
Educational Staff Number:
Research Staff Number:
Administration Staff Number: 1

About the Garden

Institution Type: Zoological Institution
Status
Status: Private: No
Status: State: No
Status: Educational: No
Status: Municipal: No
Status: Satellite: No
Status: Trust: Yes
Date founded: 1904
Physical Data
Natural Vegetation Area: Yes
Landscaped Area: Yes
Total Area: 56 Hectares
Latitude: 35.5230900
Longitude: -97.4721700
Annual Rainfall: 559 mm
Altitude: 366.00 Metres
Locality: Information
Locality: Garden Name: Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden
Local Address: 2101 NE 50th St.
Locality: City: Oklahoma City
Locality: State: Oklahoma

Features and Facilities

Herbarium: Yes
Herbarium: Number of Specimens: 100
Arboretum: No
Micropropagation/ Tissue Culture Facilities: No
Seed Bank: No
Published Plant Catalogue: No
Computer Plant Record System: Yes
Open to public: Yes
Friends society: Yes
Retail Outlet: Shop: Yes
Retail Outlet: Plant Sales: No
Disabled access: Yes
Number of Visitors: 1000000
Number of Volunteers: 30

Plant Collections

Accession Number: 5000
Cultivation Taxa Num: 6000
Special Collections:Living Collections: The botanical garden at the Oklahoma City Zoo has 15 living collections consisting of native, tropical, deciduous, and evergreen flora. To date the botanical garden tracks over 5,000 plant accessions!

Water Conservation Garden Collection: The water conservation garden is located on the southwest side of the pachyderm building. This garden displays drought tolerant plants and displays the principles of water conservation gardening. This garden exhibit is a coordinated effort between the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust, The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, and the Oklahoma State University Extension. The garden serves a strong conservation message regarding our most precious natural resource--water! Check out the water conservation garden, and soak up some information on how you can help save water in your residential landscape.

Oklahoma Trails Collection: The Oklahoma Trails exhibit contains more than 70 different plant species, totaling approximately 4,000 trees, shrubs, grasses and perennials. The exhibit showcases Oklahoma native plants alongside native animal species. Travel through the 11 ecological regions of Oklahoma starting in the Black Mesa of the northwest and winding down to the Cypress Swamps of the southeast. Educational signs point out Oklahoma native plants along the way. Our zoological horticulturists planted more than 100 trees in the Oklahoma Trails exhibit for the 2007 Tree Banks Foundations’ Centennial Tree Grove program, celebrating 100 years of Oklahoma statehood.

Butterfly Garden Collection: Located just southwest of the Noble Aquatic Center: Aquaticus and bordered by Zoo Lake on the east, the Butterfly Garden is a 20,000 square-foot exhibit designed especially for some of nature's most delicate creatures—butterflies! As the largest, walk-through outdoor Butterfly Garden in Oklahoma, the garden is a color and texture extravaganza of more than 15,000 plants fashioned to sustain the complete life cycle of the butterfly. Full color, educational graphics are placed throughout the exhibit highlighting the intricacies of butterflies and their importance in the surrounding ecosystems. Because butterflies are attracted to nectar producing flowers; penta, lantana, verbena and coneflower are the primary flowers. However, to entice the butterflies to remain in the area, nearly a quarter of the plants are host plants on which their caterpillar or larva will feed. Other plants include several types of shrubs and trees to give the butterflies wind breaks and a safe roosting place in the winter.

Dwarf Conifer Collection: This collection is located at the east end of the main parking lot in front of the Rosser Education Building. It showcases unusual types of dwarf coniferous plants.

Pine Collection: This collection represents both common and unusual pines. It is located next to the Dan Moran Aviary near the front entrance of the Zoo. Four species of pines are native to Oklahoma. They are Ponderosa Pine, Loblolly Pine, Pinyon Pine, and Shortleaf Pine.

Oak Collection: This majestic collection of mature and thriving oak trees is located in many areas around the Zoo, but the bulk of this collection can be seen through the Oklahoma Trails Exhibit.

Cactus Collection: The cactus collection consists of many tropical and hardy cactus species. This collection is available for viewing in several areas around the Zoo with the main body of the collection displayed in Cat Forest near our Jaguar exhibit. This collection is available for viewing from May-October.

Agave Collection: The agave collection consists of many tropical and hardy agave species. This collection is available for viewing in several areas around the Zoo with the main body of the collection displayed in the water conservation garden southeast of the pachyderm building. This collection is available for viewing from May-October.

Tropical Collection: The tropical plant collection is located outside the Canopy Food Court and exhibits many unusual tropical plants from around the world. This collection is available for viewing from April-October.

Bamboo Collection: Our bamboo collection is one of the largest displayed collections of hardy bamboo in Oklahoma. It is located in the Cat Forest and Great EscAPE exhibit areas.

Flowering Bulb Collection: This garden collection contains over 30,000 specimens of flowering bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, crocus, narcissus, iris and ornamental alliums with peak bloom time occurring throughout spring. The flowering bulb collection can be seen throughout the zoo grounds and includes a large display of naturalized and fragrant spring and summer flowering bulbs as well as many antique varieties.
Invasive Species Monitoring: Yes
Invasive Species Policy: Yes
ABS Policy: Yes
Plant Collection Policy: Yes

Conservation Programmes

Conservation Programme: Yes
Medicinal Plant Programme: No
Ex Situ Conservation Programme: No
Reintroduction Programme: Yes

Research Programmes

Biotechnology: No
Plant Breeding: No
Conservation - Biology: Yes
Conservation - Genetics: No
Data Management Systems and Information Technology: No
Ecology: No
Ecosystem Conservation: Yes
Education: Yes
Ethnobotany: No
Exploration: No
Floristics: No
Horticulture: Yes
Invasive Species Biology and Control: No
Molecular Genetics: No
Pollination Biology: No
Restoration Ecology: No
Seed/Spore Biology: No
Systematics and Taxonomy: No
Sustainability: No
Pharmacology: No
Agriculture: No
Land Restoration: No
Urban Environments: No

Education Programmes

Visitor/Education Centre: Yes
Education Signs in Garden: Yes
Public Lectures/Talks: Yes
Education Booklets/Leaflets: No
Guided Tours: Yes
Permanent Public Displays: Yes
Special Exhibitions: No
Courses for School Children: No
Courses for University/College Students: No
Courses for General Public: Yes
Education Programme: Yes

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