The Greenhouse
Have you ever seen olives growing on a tree? And do you know how many seeds are inside each pomegranate? It's the same number in every one.
Come and see the fruit trees growing in the greenhouse and find out more, on the top floor of the Living World galleries.
Natural light floods in through the glass roof of this impressive Victorian building, built in 1885. Among the plants growing here is the kiwi, which has as much vitamin c as an orange, and the scrambling passion fruit, which is an excellent source of fibre.
There are also lemon, grapefruit and 3 varieties of orange trees. A grape vine, fig, pineapple and papaya (pawpaw) also grow in Mediterranean style terracotta pots. Papaya trees can shoot up to 6 metres in a year and a half!
Eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day can help prevent heart disease and some cancers. So come and see how the fruit you eat grows on plants.
Living fossil tree Ginkgo, grows next to the cafe on Bridgeford Street: fossils recognisably related to the modern Ginkgo date back 270 million years. A Tulip tree also grows here: from the Magnolia family, this genus became extinct in Europe but fossils show it was once common here.