Desert House

The Desert House at the Atlanta Botanical Garden contains succulent collections native to Madagascar and Southern Africa.

Madagascar is an island off the coast of Africa where biodiversity is threatened by invasive species and rapid forest loss. Of all the species that occur in Madagascar, 85 percent are endemic, or native, only to the region. The Desert House showcases plants from the dry region of Madagascar known as the Spiny Forest.

Southern Africa is home to an extraordinary diversity of plants and animals, many of which are threatened. The Desert House showcases several Southern African hotspots such as the Namib Desert and Succulent Karoo. Among the collections represented here are xeric (dry loving) cycads, Aloes, Lithops and Welwitschia mirabilis, an unusual plant from coastal Namibia.