Faial Botanic Garden

Open to the public since 1986, Faial Botanic Garden consists of an altitude centre in Pedro Miguel parish and the main centre in Flamengos parish, which includes the Azores Seed Bank.

Its mission is related to the conservation and study of the Azorean natural flora, scientific knowledge’s promotion and environmental awareness.

Turismo de Portugal distinguished the Botanic Garden, in 2011, with an honourable mention in the “Revitalization of Public Project” award.

In August 2015, the “Botanic Garden Conservation International” (BGCI) selected the Azores Seed Bank as a study case on the conservation of rare seeds under the “Global Seed Conservation Challenge”.

The extension of the Botanic Garden opened in June of 2019. It includes the Azores Orchidarium, where it is possible to explore a magnificent orchid collection and its interpretative exhibition, with several facts and curiosities about this extraordinary plant family.

When visiting this Garden, the visitors can get to know the rarest plants in the Azores, the traditional crops, a beautiful orchidarium, a collection of medicinal and aromatic plants, as well as the main invasive plants.

Dedicated to the Natural History of the Azores Vegetation, the permanent exhibition emphasizes the Archipelago as a gathering point of unique plant species of different origins and biological ages. It also explains the emergence of species and communities that only occur here and the need to preserve this unique and fragile treasure as a legacy for the future.

The Azores Orchidarium’s collection contains a large diversity of orchid species and hybrids, organized according to their environmental preferences. Therefore, several areas with different conditions were created: two warm greenhouses for the cultivation of tropical orchids, and two shaded areas with an outdoor space, for the cultivation of orchids from temperate zones.

This space was created by the Faial Botanic Garden, in a partnership with the company Agrozende, to gather the best possible conditions for the development of these plants. Every day, the staff takes care of each plant individually to guarantee its growth.