Wood collection

Cut from the right wood

The wood collection (xylarium), kept in the herbarium of Meise Botanic Garden, contains about 5,000 specimens, from both North and South America and from Central Africa. The collection also includes items from our former forestry museum in Brussels (1902-1938).

The oldest specimens in the wood collection are of Brazilian origin and were collected in 1834. At the first World's Fair in London in 1851, visitors could admire special pieces from this collection. 

Our largest specimen comes from North America. It is a disc from the trunk of a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and is more than 2,000 years old and 4m in diameter. The disc stood at the entrance to the American pavilion at the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels as an eye-catcher. 

Afterwards, it was donated to the Botanic Garden. It now welcomes visitors to the WOODlab, our interactive wood museum that opened its doors in 2019. Here you can admire the masterpieces of our collection and learn all about the diversity of wood. The WOODlab is located near the Meise village entrance.