This spring, the Conservatory of Flowers gets rough and tumble as it celebrates some of the more ornery gangs of the plant world in a new exhibition. Set amongst the rusty remnants of an old ghost town, The Wild Bunch explores the strange and dramatic world of water hoarding plants, bristling with living examples of cacti, fat plants (also known as caudiciforms) and other succulents. These fleshy, and often thorny, plants are distinguished for their ability to survive the most extreme, arid conditions, and their swollen stems and leaves come in a stunning variety of weird shapes and unexpected colors.

Hundreds of varieties will be on view including Lithops (a bizarre group of succulents commonly called “Living Stones” for their uncanny resemblance to pebbles), the unearthly and tree-like white ghost Euphorbia, examples of several Dr. Seuss-like fat plants such as the flowering Adenium obesum or desert rose, and many more. While admiring the densely planted display, visitors learn about succulents’ many unusual adaptations to hostile environments from their superior water storage and drought resistance to their often painfully sharp defense against predators.

WHAT:  The Wild Bunch: Succulents, Cacti & Fat Plants – a special living exhibition that explores the dramatic world of water hoarding plants

WHEN:  May 6 – October 16, 2016. Closed Mondays. 

TIME: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays – Sundays

WHERE: Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

TICKETS:            

• San Francisco Residents: $6 general; $3 youth 12-17, seniors and students with ID; $2 children 5-11; children 4 and under FREE
• Non-residents: $8 general, $6 youth 12-17, seniors and students with ID; $2 children 5-11; children 4 and under FREE

INFORMATION:  www.conservatoryofflowers.org, 415-831-2090