The Botanical Garden of the University of Innsbruck is a 2-hectare botanical garden operated by the University of Innsbruck. It is located in Hötting at Sternwartestraße 15, Innsbruck, Austria. The gardens are open at no cost every day; its greenhouses are open on Thursday afternoons for an admission fee.
The garden was established around 1911, replacing an earlier garden elsewhere. It was redesigned between 1948-1965, and its alpine rock garden was revised 1987-1990 on modern systemic principles. Its first greenhouse was constructed in 1909, with three additional greenhouses added 1977-1979, a succulent house in 1993, and a sixth greenhouse for container plants built in 1997.
Today the garden contains more than 5000 species organized within the following major sections:
* Alpinum (more than 2000 m²) - a major alpine garden, divided geographically and geologically, containing more than 1000 plants from all, non tropical, alpine regions of the world. Includes an area for ferns, a moor, and four ponds.
* Arboretum - woody plants including Gymnosperms, Angiosperms, and perennial plants.
* Cactus houses (330 m²) - about 500 cactus species.
* Cactus-Succulent-Mediterranean House (280 m²) - primarily plants from the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands, the colder regions of Australia and New Zealand, as well as African succulent plants and American cacti.
* Fern house (70 m²) - epiphytes, climbing ferns, and water ferns.
* Fragrance and touch garden (built 1999) - the first in Austria, all plants labeled in Braille.
* Medicinal, poisonous, and spice plants - more than 300 plants ordered by their effective substances (alkaloids, glycocholic acid, tannins, ethereal oils, vitamins, etc.
* Orchid house
* Succulent house - over 550 succulent plants, mainly from South Africa, the Canary Islands, and South America.
* Systematic garden (1000 m², rebuilt 1993)
* Tropical greenhouse (287 m², height above 12 m²) - flowering and useful tropical plants.