Santos Museum of Economic Botany facts for kids
The Museum of Economic Botany
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| Established | 1881 |
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| Location | North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Type | economic botany |
The Santos Museum of Economic Botany is a special museum found in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. It shows how plants are used in everyday life. You can see how plants are important for medicine, food, and making useful things.
This museum was inspired by a similar one in London's Kew Gardens, which opened in 1847. The Adelaide Museum opened in 1881. It is the only museum of its kind left in Australia. When it first opened, it had 3500 items. These items showed how raw plant materials become finished products. Today, the museum displays over 3000 plant samples. This is almost all of the items they have collected. The museum also hosts modern art shows sometimes. For example, it showed Tamar Dean's photos in 2018.
About the Museum
The Santos Museum of Economic Botany helps visitors understand the many ways plants help us. It teaches about plants from all over the world. The museum shows how plants are used for food, clothes, and even building materials.
How It Started
The museum was created by its first Director, Richard Schomburgk. He was a very knowledgeable botanist. He worked with other plant experts around the world. This helped him gather many interesting plant items for the museum.
What You Can See
The museum has a wide range of plant materials. You can see things like essential oils, which are used for scents and medicine. There are also gums and resins, used in glues and varnishes. You can learn about plants used for making fabrics and dyes. The museum also shows plants used for food and drinks. It's a great place to see how plants are part of so many things we use daily.
The Building Itself
The museum building has a special look. It is built in a style called Greek-revival. This means it looks like old Greek temples. The building is important to Australia's history. It was listed on the Register of the National Estate in 1980. It was also added to the South Australian Heritage Register in 1982. This means it is a protected historical site.
