The power of palm trees

The Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris presents the fifth edition of Automne tropical, a botanical exhibition that transforms the Grandes Serres of the Jardin des Plantes into a green jungle dedicated to palm trees. The exhibition invites the public to discover the treasures and secrets of these ancient plants through a journey that unites science, nature, and the collective imagination. Visitors are guided through four thematic sections that explore the morphology of palm trees, their habitats, their history, and the uses developed by humans over time. Present on the planet for over one hundred million years, palm trees play an essential role in tropical ecosystems, providing shelter and nourishment to numerous animal species and guaranteeing essential resources for human communities. Their distribution in highly diverse environments, from the Amazon rainforests to the African savannas, from the Pacific islands to the mangroves and oases of the Sahara, testifies to an extraordinary capacity for adaptation that has made them among the most versatile and recognizable plants in the world. The exhibition highlights this richness through an immersive display, in which the greenhouses become a sensory landscape combining scientific rigor and playfulness. A toucan silhouette accompanies families and children along the route, facilitating species identification and transforming the visit into an accessible and engaging experience. In this way, Tropical Autumn not only celebrates the beauty of nature, but also highlights the profound connection between biodiversity and culture, demonstrating how palm trees are both vital elements of ecosystems and recurring symbols in the human imagination.