Tropical Greenhouse, Ege University Botanical Garden (Tropikal Sera)

The botanical garden and herbarium of Ege University grew out of a decision by the Faculty of Science's council of professors on 14 December 1962, approved by the university senate. According to the official history, in 1963 a first "mini greenhouse" was set up on a glassed-in balcony of the main building, inherited from the Bornova Regional Agriculture School, and the first seed catalogue was issued from it. The first garden was laid out in 1964 and the administration building for the herbarium and garden was completed in 1966. The centre became an institute in 1974, was abolished by a decree-law in 1982 and was re-established in 1997 as a research and application centre reporting to the rectorate.

The tropical greenhouse was the major project of the late 2000s. The report "Yenilenen Ege Üniversitesi 2008-2012" gives its cost as 300,000 Turkish lira and says it entered service on 5 April 2012, bringing the centre's glasshouse area to 1,600 m². Local press covered its inauguration in April 2012, attended among others by the rector and the centre's director, with the unveiling of a tiled fountain made by trainees of a women entrepreneurs' association and a photo exhibition of orchids titled "Ege'nin Prensesleri Orkidelerimiz" (our orchids, princesses of the Aegean). On that occasion the director recalled that the university's first garden began on a balcony before moving on to a basement.

The greenhouse is a single volume with a 300 m² footprint and a height of 12 m. According to the university's report, its main frame is a galvanised metal construction and its walls are made of heat-insulating, double-layer tempered glass. Ventilation combines manually operated glass flaps on the side walls with eight remote-controlled piston flaps at the top. Two doors give access, and a viewing balcony about 5 m above the floor overlooks the planting.

Irrigation water first passes through dedicated treatment systems and then feeds an automatic misting system designed to reproduce rainforest conditions artificially. The announced cost is 300,000 Turkish lira.

The university's report counts 150 plants of tropical or subtropical origin in the greenhouse. Local press in April 2012 speaks of 150 species, including 17 tropical fruit species, 16 indoor palms, 10 cycads and 6 banana species; the articles read do not detail the remainder. In 2022 a member of the centre's teaching staff quoted by the Anadolu agency described two large tropical greenhouses holding about 120 species, among them some twenty fruit plants such as guava, pitaya and tamarind: the figures vary from one source to another.

The rest of the garden completes these collections. According to the same agency the centre has thirteen greenhouses, African violets, orchids and a collection of Hoya (the official collections page mentions about 150 species of that genus, the 2022 article gives 260). The Izmir tourism portal also mentions a redwood, a Venus flytrap and duckweed, as well as a plant shop.

The garden occupies part of the Ege University campus in Bornova, in the Izmir conurbation; according to OpenStreetMap, the "Ege Üniversitesi" metro station lies less than 500 m away. It is open Monday to Friday. In 2022 the Anadolu agency reported that visitors can walk through it free of charge during working hours; school visits are by appointment, and the Izmir tourism portal also asks for an appointment (for groups, according to one of its pages).

Contacting the centre before coming is prudent. The site also has a herbarium, ponds, an arboretum and a plant shop.