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.