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The botanical gardens are not only a haven for visitors looking for some downtime, but also allow

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Jenny Odom, a fourth-year biology student, adopted a tree in the botanical garden for one of her

Many South Campus Bruins have passed by it a handful of times and most life sciences students will have taken at least one trip into its heart in their four years at UCLA.

The Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden is not only home to UCLA’s largest living plant collection, but now, in its 75th year, is also where several upper and lower division elective and major courses in botany, biology and geography take place.

“Classes where you have a richer experience than taking notes in a darkened room ... these will last for a lifetime,” said Arthur Gibson, the director of the botanical garden and an ecology and evolutionary biology professor. His upper division class, Plant Evolution and Systematics, frequents and examines species of the garden’s living collection.

Contrary to the misconception that the garden was founded for graduate student and faculty research, it was founded in 1929 mainly to assist in undergraduate education, according to the botanical garden’s Web site.

While upholding this mission, the garden also became a refuge for plant biodiversity, especially those from the tropical and subtropical climates. From Hawaiian flowers to Australian figs and trees to Malesian rhodendrons, the international flavor of the garden has many students surprised.

“It’s great to see everything live as close as possible to its natural habitat,” said Chris Boudakian, a fifth-year student studying biology who is taking Gibson’s class.

Simply put, “The garden helps us know the concept behind the term,” said Steven Hsueh, a third-year biology student.

Most of these students are not going to be botanists, said Gibson, so the class is designed to help students, who are mostly graduating seniors, appreciate nature.

“My favorite region of the garden is the tropical region because there are koi fish in the lake, turtles in the creek, as well as squirrels running around,” Hsueh said.

He expressed that after this class ends he will still come back to visit the garden because it’s a great place to relax.

There are many who agree with Hsueh, including doctors, students and off-campus visitors who come to the garden throughout the day. Many are just looking for peace or a place for a brisk walk in the middle of a busy day, Gibson said.

Nevertheless, the value of the garden as a learning resource should not be underestimated, he said.

“The class and garden is just packed with information. You realize just how many ways plants can live,” Hsueh said as he studied leaf arrangements, shape and shoot designs.

Though Hsueh is looking to attending pharmacy school after graduation, he recognizes it is important to understand plants and nature because he sees a correlation between herbs, medicine and many of the plants in the garden.

Unlike a common garden of flowers and plants, the botanical garden is divided into regions of different climates.

Jenny Odom, a fourth-year biology student, said that her geography class last quarter frequently took trips to the botanical garden because they were studying forest ecosystems.

Another part of the botanical garden is the Student Garden and the adjacent Plant Growth Center.

There, students of Professor Ann Hirsch’s Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology 80 class are growing everything from lettuce to radishes to corn.

“The class designs the (student) garden, weeds the garden, so that by the end of the quarter we can harvest these plants to eat,” Hirsch said.

To the class, the botanical garden is a reference point to the different parts and species of plants they encounter in lab because “you can’t learn everything from photographs,” Hirsch added.

Classes such as Hirsch’s and Gibson’s allow students to both learn about and casually enjoy the garden.

“Every student should take the time, if not just to appreciate the plants, just to appreciate the quietness and beauty of living things – which is so much better than concrete,” Hirsch said.