Pflanzenhaus Überlingen

Pflanzenhaus Überlingen stands in the Villa Gardens as a glass pavilion for Überlingen’s historic cactus and succulent collection. Its planting beds follow the collection’s geographic origins.

The light-filled structure rises nearly ten metres and gives tall specimens room to display their forms. Some plants in the collection are over a century old.

North American and Mexican cacti begin the regional arrangement, including globular and columnar forms. Their accordion-like ribs expand after rain and contract during drought.

South American cacti show woolly areoles, from which flowers, shoots, and spines emerge. Many flowers open at dusk or night.

African beds present succulents from families such as spurges and ice plants. Some African species resemble stones among barren gravel.

The display compares water storage in leaves, segmented stems, and cactus tissues across arid habitats. Mineral substrate lets water drain quickly from the roots.

Older columnar cacti develop openings in their spiny coverings, allowing light to reach green tissues. Seedlings appear in shaded niches beneath shrubs or between stones.

These details connect plant structure with survival in extreme aridity.