Volunteer Park Conservatory cycads, and orchids, visitors will find banana ("Musa"), Bird of Paradise ("Strelitzia"), "Anthurium" and ginger (Zingiberaceae) in this house. The conservatory’s orchid collection, which began as a gift from Mrs. Anna H. Clise in 1921, is also found in the Palm House. Orchids are a large and diverse flowering plant family composed of more than 20,000 species. The conservatory’s collection includes representatives of the largest genera – "Bulbophyllum", "Epidendrum", and "Dendrobium" – as well as commonly cultivated genera such as "Cattleya" and "Phalaenopsis". Transporting endangered orchids is prohibited by the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) and many
Exotic pet Exotic pet An exotic pet is a rare or unusual animal pet: an animal kept within human households which is generally thought of as a wild species rather than as a pet. The definition is an evolving one; some rodents, reptiles, and amphibians have become firmly enough established in the world of animal fancy to sometimes no longer be considered exotic. Sometimes any unique or wild-looking pet (including common domestic animals such as the ferret and the fancy rat) is considered an exotic pet. "Exotic" generally refers to a species which is not native or indigenous to the owner's locale,