The Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection (SGOC) has grown from five plants to over 8,000 specimens since 1974. It is an invaluable resource for educational programs, exhibitions, and scientific research.
This collection is maintained in the Smithsonian Gardens Greenhouse Facility in Suitland, Maryland by staff, interns, and volunteers. It received accreditation from the Plant Collections Network in January 2014, making it the first member of the Orchidaceae tropical species curatorial group.
The conferral of this award indicates Smithsonian Gardens’ dedication to orchid conservation and high collections management standards. Smithsonian Gardens strives to cultivate an extremely diverse array of orchids from all over the world. Not only are new acquisitions selected carefully based on their display quality, educational value, beauty, rarity and how they complement our present collection, but consideration is also given to how new additions will further the efforts of the Plant Collections Network.
Institutions
Smithsonian Gardens
