Brout Orchid Collections

The Brout Orchid Collection housed in the Life Sciences Greenhouse is the gift of Alan P. Brout, Dartmouth class of 1951. His donation of nearly 1000 individual plants from the family Orchidaceae ranging from Ada and Aerangis to Zygatorea and Zygopetalum represents over 30 years of collecting and caring.

In Memory of Alan P. Brout '51

We are so sad to share that our dear friend Alan Brout passed away on Oct 28, 2026, at the age of 96. As his family shares in his obituary, “In 1967, a friend gave Alan an orchid, sparking a passion that blossomed into an award-winning collection of nearly 1,000 plants. He built two greenhouses at the family home in Larchmont. When he and Joan later moved to White Plains, he donated his beloved “little green kids” to the Dartmouth greenhouse—sharing his collection with the college that had meant so much to him. He nurtured orchids, friendships, and family, leaving a legacy that will continue to grow.”
We looked forward to Alan and Joan’s two to three visits a year, when he brought new “kids” to the collection and enjoyed reconnecting with his orchid family. Alan delighted in sharing his love of orchids with Dartmouth students on his visits and ignited many new sparks of interest in the orchid world.
We are honored to carry Alan’s legacy by maintaining and sharing the Brout Orchid collection with the Dartmouth community and with our visitors from around the world. Alan truly enriched so many people’s lives and will continue to do so through this collection.

About the Collection

Alan and Joan Brout pose in front of their house.

The Brout Collection has continued to grow with huge hybrid Cattleyas, the familiar prom corsage orchid, to the delicate Lepanthes calodictyon, where a magnifying glass is needed to more fully enjoy the tiny blooms, to spider-like Brassias, and the strange and unusual Dracula , there are orchid flowers in an almost unbelievable variety of shapes and structures. Many of the orchids have won prizes in local and regional competition and the collection is recognized by the American Orchid Society.

Alan was very involved with the collection, finding new and unusual orchids to bring to the collection, usually twice a year.

Alan and Joan's three daughters donated the materials and funds to build a moss orchid wall. The wall was built to honor Alan and Joan's 50th wedding anniversary.

There are two rooms of orchids. The warm orchid room contains orchids from the tropics. Some of these orchids are Paphiopedilums, Phragmipediums, and Phalaenopsis.

The cool orchid room holds orchids that grow in mountainous cloud forests of South America such as Masdevallias and Draculas. This room also houses many Bulbophyllums from Asia.

As with the other greenhouse collections, the Brout Orchid Collection is free and open to view by the public.

A pink and yellow orchid.