Mediterranean Plants Collection
This collection focuses on plants native to places surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.
Purpose and scope of the collection
The Mediterranean Plant Collection showcases plants imported from countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa with climates similar to areas adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea. Las Vegas landscape designs incorporate many of these plants, which are adaptable to our harsh growing conditions. They also complement Mediterranean-influenced architectural styles prevalent in urban residential, commercial, and public buildings in the Las Vegas Valley and adjacent parts of southern Nevada.
The Mediterranean Plant Collection supports studies on convergent plant evolution between species found in the Mediterranean and in similar climate zones in the United States, such a the California chaparral. For example, aloes, cacti and agave have all converged on similar morphogical responses to similar landscapes and climates.
Collection — specific interpretations of this policy and special instructions
- Limit collection management to plants that are native to the Mediterranean areas of Europe, Asia and Africa.
- All Mediterranean trees should be accessioned as individuals within the Arboretum Core. Outside the Core, accession individual trees when they rare part of a limited population of the species on campus.
- Only a few individual shrubs of each species should be accessioned, but they should be from different parts of the campus.
- Emphasize plants adaptable to Climate Zone 11 (Medium to High Deserts of California and Southern Nevada as defined in the Sunset Western Garden Book). However, utilize microclimates found on campus to support as wide a variety of taxa as practical.
- Plant specimens to simulate natural groupings wherever possible. Otherwise, group specimens according to their planting and culture needs.
- Create landscapes that draw on the urban and rustic design traditions of Mediterranean cultures.
Programs supported by the collection
- UNLV Biology: BIO 120 Plants and People, BIO 122 Desert Plants, BIO 345 Urban Horticulture, BIO 422 Taxonomy of Vascular Plants, BIO 426 Plant Anatomy, BIO 442 Principles of Plant Physiology
- UNLV Landscape Architecture: AAL 246 Plant Materials, AAL 355 History of Landscape Architecture, second through fifth-year design studios (AAL 284, AAL 286, AAL 384, AAL 386, AAL 484, AAL 486, AAL 494, AAL 496)
- CCSN Ornamental Horticulture: OH 103 Ornamental Plant Identification, OH 213B Drought Tolerant Landscape Plant Identification
Collection data
Type of collection: Geographic
Year established: 2003
Guidelines created: March 2006
Last revised: March 2006
Proposed by: 2003 Long Range Planning Committee
Location: Concentrated in plantings around the UNLV Foundation
Building, but individual specimens may be dispersed throughout the campus
Size: n/a
Amenities: n/a
Last inventoried: in progress
Number of species: n/a
Number of specimens: n/a
