Plant Odyssey: Prague Botanical Garden Showcases 432 Million Years of Evolution

The “Plant Odyssey” exhibition at Prague Botanical Garden takes visitors on a journey through more than 432 million years of plant history. Fossils, living species and dinosaur skulls illustrate the evolution of the plant world.

Prague Botanical Garden invites visitors on a journey through more than 432 million years of plant history. The “Plant Odyssey” exhibition traces the development of plants from the earliest land plants to the species known today.

The exhibition guides visitors through the most important stages of plant evolution. On display are fossils, living plants and the stories that can be uncovered from their remains. Visitors can learn how plant fossils are formed, why identifying them is often more difficult than identifying animal fossils, and what palaeobotanists can discover from finds that are millions of years old.

Foto: Botanická zahrada Praha

Among the most significant exhibits is Cooksonia barrandei. The oldest known land plant species was first discovered in what is now the Czech Republic. The exhibition also features giant lycophytes of the genus Lepidodendron from the Carboniferous Period, plants from the Mesozoic Era and species that already closely resemble plants found today.

Another highlight is the 3D-printed skulls of three herbivorous dinosaurs. Alongside the skulls, plants are displayed that scientists believe the animals probably fed on.

Foto: Botanická zahrada Praha

Fossils Meet Their Living Relatives

The exhibition connects the fossil plant world with the Botanical Garden’s living collections. Along a specially created route through the grounds, visitors can discover modern relatives of the plants displayed as fossils in the exhibition hall.

The new exhibition above the Fata Morgana tropical greenhouse presents plant evolution as a continuous process shaped by change, challenges and adaptation. The development of the plant world is therefore not only a thing of the past but continues – albeit much more slowly – to this day.

Foto: Botanická zahrada Praha

The “Plant Odyssey” exhibition runs until 20 September 2026 in the exhibition hall of the Ornamental Garden. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm.

Admission is included in the Botanical Garden’s standard entrance fee. Further information can be found on the website of the Botanical Garden Prague.



Botanická zahrada hlavního města Prahy
Trojská 800/196 Praha 7
Website | Facebook | Instagram