Definition of a Botanical Garden
A botanical garden has different meanings to different people. Most experts, however, agree that botanical gardens are an important part of communities. Botanical gardens are open to the public, but they are much more than a public park or a garden planted simply for the aesthetic appeal that they might provide those who visit.
What is a Botanical Garden?
Botanical gardens provide important information regarding the plants that populate them. Here is a list of criteria that botanical gardens should include:
- Public access
- An scientific basis for the collections they contain
- Scientific research on the plants in the garden
- Documentation of all flora and fauna in the garden
- Labeling of the plants
- Expert monitoring of the plants
- Exchange of information with other research facilities
Botanical gardens typically feature specialized plant collections. These collections could be native to the area, such as a desert botanical garden that features cactus and other desert indigenous plants or a tropical collection of plants found in rainforests.
History of Botanical Gardens
Modern botanical gardens evolved from medicinal gardens grown in medieval. These medicinal gardens were also called physics gardens and were utilized for growing plants that provided some type of medicinal treatment. The earliest known botanical gardens can be traced back to the 16th century in Italy.
In the years following these early physics gardens, more emphasis was put on growing plants as a cultural and scientific interest.
Modern Botanical Gardens
Today there are estimated to be 1800 botanical gardens in 150 countries around the world. The United States, alone, has 200 botanical gardens. The modern botanical garden helps to contribute to plant conservation and education of those interested in plants and botany.