More than 150 years ago, Henry Shaw founded this Garden as a place of beauty and floral display, but also as an institution of scientific research and education. The Missouri Botanical Garden has continued in that tradition and, over time, has come to exemplify the nexus of conservation and quality of life.
Today, the Garden is a National Historic Landmark and a treasured part of the St. Louis community. We are also a critical partner in plant conservation throughout the world. Our mission is to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life. Today, our mission has never been more relevant or important. Plant diversity, the world’s greatest renewable natural resource, is being lost at an alarming rate, and we must act with the greatest urgency to document and conserve it before it is too late. The Missouri Botanical Garden has recognized and accepted its responsibility to be an effective leader, mentor, advocate, and practitioner of environmental protection at home and throughout the world.
Research Conservation