About 175 species of woody plants are cultivated on Tulane's campus. Many of these species are native to Louisiana or the southeastern United States. The principal trees are live oak and water oak, which were the primary species of the original bottomland forest that bordered the Mississippi River. From this forest was carved the plantation that would become Audubon Park and Tulane University. The long skinny plot shape was driven by river adjacencies of the original plantations. While no original trees exist, it is likely that some of the trees near the river date back to the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. The Louisiana state tree, the Bald Cypress, is typically found in seasonally flooded habitats, but is successfully cultivated on Tulane's campus. As is the state flower, the southern magnolia. Additional native trees include loblobby pine, slash pine, flowering dogwood, American holly, yaupon, and sycamore.
Check out this Guide to the Native Plant garden on campus to learn more about the biodiversity here!