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The Botanical Garden of the Natural History Museum of the Mediterranean in Livorno was founded in June 2000 and is dedicated to the flora of the Mediterranean geographic area – in particular to the continental and insular territory of the province of Livorno.

In addition to being used for teaching and learning about Mediterranean fragrances, the garden is also a centre for studying and preserving rare or interesting species.
The first area of the Garden reproduces the typical volcanic environment of the Island of Capraia, welcoming the typical flora rich in endemic species; then, there’s a relief of ophiolitic rocks (sections of oceanic crust and the underlying mantle that have raised to the surface) hosting the vegetation typical of those very environments. A small pond in the garden offers the humid habitat usually found behind the dunes, while two other areas are dedicated to sandstone and coastal environments.

A last section of the garden was opened in June 2003, specifically dedicated to 70 officinal and aromatic species used in the popular tradition of Tuscany and the Mediterranean area.

Recently, the Garden has been planted with some spontaneous orchids (Orchidaceae), for conservation purposes and to raise public awareness about this precious spontaneous flora.
Those species include Barlia robertiana (Barlia robertiana – Loisel- Greuter), lady orchids (Orchis purpurea Huds), lax-flowered orchid (Anacamptis laxiflora Lam. -R.M. Bateman), butterfly orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea Pridgeon & M.W. Chase), and bee orchid (Ophrys apifera Huds.).