 In 1935 the school became part of the University of Naples, and subsequently occupied by allied troops during World War II, destroying many plants, but from 1948 its collections have been restored and enlarged.The gardens currently contain over 4000 specimens representing about 1000 species.The most important collection are desert plants, which include over 600 species from Agavaceae, Aizoaceae, Cactaceae (about 400 species), Didiereaceae, and Euphorbiaceae.