Just in time for this year's ‘Week of Botanical Gardens’ (14 to 22 June), we are once again showing the popular exhibition ‘Of Beans, Peanuts and Mimosa - Fabulous Fabaceae’ organised by the German Association of Botanical Gardens. With almost 20,000 species, the Fabaceae, better known as legumes, are the third largest plant family after the composite plants (Asteraceae, approx. 30,000 species) and orchids (Orchidaceae, approx. 25,000 species). Legumes are not only extremely important for our diet, but also play an important role in many other areas.
Peas, beans or lentils - for most people, legumes are simply vegetables, but the legume family (also known as Fabaceae) has much more to offer. Get to know this huge group of plants better with our exhibition. Whether useful, delicious or breathtakingly beautiful: their incredible diversity will amaze you!
On 15 large-format themed panels, this exhibition shows the economic and cultural importance as well as the fascinating biology of this unique plant family. The topics covered by the exhibition include
The themed panels are supplemented by a total of 32 profiles, which present individual species of legumes. The picture on the left shows the profiles of the Bambara groundnut and the peanut, as they can be seen in the foyer of the glasshouses.
Below is a selection of 10 profiles.
The 15 themed panels can be seen here in the Botanical Garden of the Ruhr University Bochum in the information pavilions opposite the Beckmannshof entrance. The individual profiles are distributed at suitable locations in the open air and in the show houses. The exact locations of the information boards are marked on the following map (Fabulous Fabaceae-plan).
If you like, you can take the wealth of exciting information home with you in the form of an accompanying book. It includes all the contents of the exhibition, supplemented by three in-depth guest contributions. What makes this beautiful little book about the legume family so special are the illustrations specially designed by the Münster artist Bjoern von Schulz.
The 85-page book is available from our office at a price of €12.00.
The exhibition ‘Of Beans, Peanuts and Mimosa - Fabulous Fabaceae’ and the 'Week of Botanical Gardens' are an initiative of the Association of Botanical Gardens.
The exhibition will be shown in many member gardens throughout Germany (and Austria). You can find more information, a list of the exhibiting gardens and details of events on the Homepage of the Association of Botanical Gardens.
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Last update: Jun 06, 2025
