This botanical garden, which collects tropical and subtropical plants, is an extension of the Overseas Agronomic Institute, a technical-scientific consultancy and assistance body of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Most of its plants are sheltered in a greenhouse: here you can find species of food, industrial, ornamental, and forestry interest: avocado, banana, papaya, papyrus, cotton, pepper, cocoa with fruits directly attached to the trunk, the tea plant (a camellia with white flowers), vanilla (an orchid from the West Indies with brown and fragrant fruits used to flavor coffee and chocolate).
Among the many interesting specimens living outdoors, in open ground, a metasequoia (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) deserves attention, a deciduous Chinese conifer considered a true living fossil; until 1941, when living specimens were found, it was actually considered extinct.
Information on the Tropical Agricultural Museum of the Overseas Agronomic Institute
Antonio Cocchi, 4 Florence
