virtual tour
Nestled on the sixth floor of the 6th Street Parking Garage is the Mark Dimmitt Desert Plant Conservatory, a greenhouse dedicated to the legendary botanist, Mark Dimmitt. The conservatory is the creative product of partnership between the University of Arizona's Campus Arboretum and the Plant Science Undergraduate Club. It houses spectacularly unusual plants representing 11 diverse plant families. This collection is available as a visual feast and educational resource, but also provides plant material for maintaining the Coral Reef Garden at the USS Arizona Memorial Garden on the University Mall. We are pleased to provide this collection of strange, rare, and unique plants featuring those prized by the botanist of honor, Mark Dimmitt.
The Mark Dimmitt Desert Plant Conservatory, with banner
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Mark Dimmitt posing beside his awe-inspiring Adenium orchard
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Although possessing a PhD in Herpetology, Mark Dimmitt became famous for his horticultural endeavors, beginning as the Curator of Botany at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and including the the creation of over 200 new plant hybrids (1). Throughout his life, Mark has published over 50 scientific articles in horticultural and ecological fields, and authored several books, including “Adenium: Sculptural Elegance, Floral Extravagance” (2008).
In botanical circles throughout the Southwest, Mark Dimmitt is well known beyond his publications, and renowned for his immense collection of unusual species. His personal collection currently includes over 10,000 different plants. Specifically, Mark has a special affection for Trichocereus cacti, orchids and Adeniums (desert roses), and has created many of the exceptional Adenium and Trichocereus hybrids available for purchase commercially. As an example, his first Adenium hybrid made commercially available has petals that are a striking red, and has been named 'Crimson Star'. Additionally, he has named more than 20 Trichocereus hybrids with enormously large and vibrantly colorful flowers, with equally interesting names like 'Hallucination' and 'Apricot Glow' (2).
In botanical circles throughout the Southwest, Mark Dimmitt is well known beyond his publications, and renowned for his immense collection of unusual species. His personal collection currently includes over 10,000 different plants. Specifically, Mark has a special affection for Trichocereus cacti, orchids and Adeniums (desert roses), and has created many of the exceptional Adenium and Trichocereus hybrids available for purchase commercially. As an example, his first Adenium hybrid made commercially available has petals that are a striking red, and has been named 'Crimson Star'. Additionally, he has named more than 20 Trichocereus hybrids with enormously large and vibrantly colorful flowers, with equally interesting names like 'Hallucination' and 'Apricot Glow' (2).
Blooming Trichocereus "First Light", a beautiful Trichocereus cultivar created by Mark Dimmitt
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Adenium somalense var. crispum x obesum, a hybrid Adenium with red flowers created by Mark Dimmitt
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To honor Mark Dimmitt’s valuable botanical contributions, the Mark Dimmitt Desert Plant Conservatory was developed, and filled with unusual succulents and cacti that extend beyond the flora of the Arboretum grounds. The conservatory also honors the memory of the late Kevin Barber, who had been a close friend of Mark Dimmitt, and whose wife Helen Barber is responsible for the sponsorship of the Mark Dimmitt Desert Plant Conservatory.
The conservatory currently houses nearly 100 unique species of succulents, all of which are visually, scientifically or culturally significant. However, seven species possess substantial appeal, and were chosen to emphasize the unusual horticultural specimens that Mark Dimmitt personally has collected.
The conservatory currently houses nearly 100 unique species of succulents, all of which are visually, scientifically or culturally significant. However, seven species possess substantial appeal, and were chosen to emphasize the unusual horticultural specimens that Mark Dimmitt personally has collected.
Learn more about the plants that Mark has donated through the following webpage, and click through the images below to virtually tour several of the notable species within the Mark Dimmitt Desert Plant Conservatory!
Agave attenuata | Asparagaceae | foxtail agave
Carnegiea gigantea | Cactaceae | saguaro
Oreocereus celsianus | Cactaceae | the old man of the Andes
Melocactus matanzanus | Cactaceae | the dwarf Turk’s cap
Adenium 'Hansoti Dwarf' | Apocynaceae | dwarf Adenium
Euphorbia abdelkuri | Euphorbiaceae | Abd al Kuri Euphorbia
Fouquieria columnaris | Fouquieriaceae | boojum tree
Sign up for the Arboretum Newsletter to learn about upcoming guided tours of the collection.
