Do the botanical gardens have any additional duties beyond maintaining its collection?
Yes. As one of 62 Plant Rescue Centers in the nation, the Los Angeles Zoo is often called upon by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to care for exotic or rare plants that people have attempted to smuggle into the country. Since many countries don’t want to lose key plant species or specimens, it is often a long process to determine what will happen to confiscated samples. Our botanical gardens can provide a temporary, viable habitat for such “rescued” plants.
