Botanical Gardens

Botanical gardens are curated spaces that are dedicated to the cultivation, conservation, and display of a diverse range of plant species. The botanical gardens in India and everywhere around the globe are tourist attractions and offer educational experiences to botanists and students.

In this article, we will cover Botanical garden history, role, and importance in detail.

The botanical garden or botanic garden is a garden dedicated to the collection, cultivation, preservation and display of an wide range of plants. These plants are labelled with their botanical names or scientific names. Botanical Gardens have collections of living flora species for reference. Plant species in these gardens are grown for identification purposes and each plant is labelled with its botanical name and family.

The famous botanical gardens are at Kew (England), Indian Botanical Garden, Howrah (India) and National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow (India). Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England is known as the largest botanical garden in the world. It has 300-acre garden near London and is home to the world’s biggest collection of living plants. The Botanical Garden in Berlin is the second largest botanical garden in the world.

Botanical gardens have a rich history dating back to ancient times when people cultivated plants for food, medicine, and beauty. In classical civilizations, gardens adorned temples and palaces, showcasing a wide range of plants that fascinated neighboring cultures. With the exploration of new lands and the introduction of exotic plant species, gardening flourished, particularly during the Renaissance era when herbalists introduced hundreds of plants to the world.

In India, botanical gardens have existed since at least 546 B.C., with references in ancient Sanskrit literature. Despite periods of decline, botanical gardens have experienced resurgence, particularly in post-independence India, with a network of gardens promoting botanical research and conservation efforts across the country.

The list of botanical gardens in India is given below:

• Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah ((Largest Indian Botanical Garden)
• Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Bengaluru
• Jijamata Udyan (Rani Bagh), Mumbai
• Government Botanical Garden, Ooty
• Auroville Botanical Gardens, Auroville
• Gass Forest Museum and Botanical Garden, Coimbatore
• Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram
• NTR Memorial Botanical Garden, Hyderabad
• Arid Forest Research Institute Botanical Garden, Jodhpur
• Mughal Gardens, Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi
• Botanical Garden of India Republic, Noida
• Shalimar Bagh, Srinagar
• Terraced Garden, Chandigarh
• Jhansi Rani Park, Chennai
• Nalanda University Botanical Garden, Rajgir
• Pusa Hill Forest, Patna
• Maharashtra Raj Bhawan Botanical Garden, Mumbai
• Nandi Hills Botanical Garden, Bengaluru
• Padmapuram Gardens, Araku Valley

The importance of botanical gardens are:

• Living Collections: Botanical gardens maintain diverse collections of plants, including ornamental, wild, medicinal, and economically important species from various regions.
• Research & Education: These collections serve as a important resource for scientists, students, and professionals like botanists, horticulturists, and foresters. They can study plant life, conduct research, and gain a deeper understanding of the natural world.
• Conservation: Botanical gardens play a crucial role in conserving rare and endangered plant species. By cultivating and studying these plants, they help ensure their survival and promote biodiversity.
• Public Engagement: Botanical gardens offer educational programs, workshops, and public access to their collections. This fosters appreciation and understanding of the plant world for visitors of all ages.
• Comprehensive Resources: Many gardens extend beyond just plants. They may contain libraries, herbaria (preserved plant collections), research labs, and archives containing photographs, paintings, and other resources for in-depth study.

The various roles of botanical gardens are:

• Taxonomic Studies: Botanical gardens give precious information on various plants. Local flora, bonsai, rare plants etc. They act as “outdoor laboratories” for scholars and researchers. It helps us to know about our biodiversity, its features and various other information.
• Botanical Research: For botanical research, botanical gardens supply a wide range of plant species, seeds, flowers, and fruits. Research on plants enhance our intellectual life and adds to our knowledge about other life supporting processes.
• Conservation: Botanical gardens conserve and generate rare species and genetic diversity. Conservating species may help diversity from fading which could help the upcoming generation with their knowledge about plant species.
• Education: They supply facilities for courses in local flora, horticulture, hybridization, plant propagation, etc. These educational programmes include workshops, and training sessions for teachers, students, naturalists, etc.
• Public Services: They helps the public in identifying the local and exotic plant species; provide instructions for home gardening, and propagation of plants; supply plant resource; through sale or exchange.
• Aesthetics and Resources: They attract people who have made gardening their hobby. These gardens also play a essential role in fulfilling human needs and providing well-being.
• Employment: They create job opportunities for a large number of young botanists. It makes people employed by providing work at a different levels of jobs.

Some of the interesting facts about botanical gardens are:

• Royal Botanical Garden, Kew (England) has an area of 300 acres but grows a very huge number of flora species.
• Indian Botanical Garden Howrah, India is the largest botanical garden in Asia spread over an area of 273 acres.
• Lioyd Botanical Garden, Darjeeling(India) occupies an area of only 40 acres.
• National Botanical Garden, Lucknow (India) has an area of 70 acres.
• Lalbag Gardens, Bangaluru,(India) was founded by Hyder Ali.
• Orto Botanico di Padova (Italy) world’s oldest botanical garden is still in existence. It was established in 1545.
• Some botanical gardens specialize in specific plant families or themes, such as succulents, orchids, or carnivorous plants.
• Many botanical gardens participate in international seed exchange programs to conserve plant genetic diversity and facilitate research and conservation efforts worldwide.

In conclusion, botanical gardens serve as invaluable repositories of botanical knowledge and resources, fostering research, conservation, education, and public engagement. Their significance extends beyond mere aesthetics, playing important roles in taxonomic studies, botanical research, conservation of rare species, education, and public services. Furthermore, they contribute to the economy by creating job opportunities and supporting the horticultural industry. With their rich history and diverse collections, botanical gardens continue to inspire and educate visitors while contributing to the preservation of global plant biodiversity.

Also Read:

• In-Situ and Ex-Situ Conservation of Biodiversity
• Taxonomical Aids
• Conservation of Forest and Wildlife
• Biodiversity Conservation
• Loss of Biodiversity

What is the Meaning of Botanical Gardens?

Botanical gardens are dedicated to the collection, cultivation, preservation, and display of a wide range of plants.

What is the Purpose of Botanical Gardens.

The purpose of botanical gardens is to maintain diverse plant collections, conduct research, conserve rare species, and educate the public.

Define Key Points of Botanical Gardens.

Key points of botanical gardens include living collections, research and education, conservation efforts, public engagement, and comprehensive resources.

Who Established the Botanical Garden?

Botanical gardens have been established by various individuals, organizations, and governments worldwide.

What is the Largest Botanical Garden in the World?

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, located in England, is the largest botanical garden in the world, spanning 300 acres.