La Jardin des Plantes de Montpellier avec la serre Martins The
Jardin des plantes de Montpellier is a historic botanical garden
and arboretum. The garden was established in 1593 by letters
patent from King Henri IV, under the leadership of Pierre Richer
de Belleval, professor of botany and anatomy. It is France’s
oldest botanical garden, inspired by the Orto botanico di Padova
(1545) and in turn serving as model for the Jardin des Plantes
de Paris (1626). The Montagne de Richer lies within the garden’s
oldest section, which also now contains a systematic garden. The
garden was expanded twice in the 19th century. Its orangery was
designed by Claude-Mathieu Delagardette (1762–1805) and
completed in 1804, the arboretum was landscaped in 1810, and the
English Garden, with pool and greenhouse, dates from 1859. The
monumental Martins greenhouse opened in 1860. Today the garden
contains about 2,680 plant species, including 500 native to the
Mediterranean region. Of these roughly 2,000 species are grown
outdoors, and