What are Botanical Gardens?
Botanical gardens are institutions that care for living plant collections of many species of plants. We can find plant species from all over the world in a large botanical garden. These varieties include decorative and cultivated plants, wild, medicinal, economically important plants, plants from diverse geographical regions, plants of special interest, etc.
They are valuable to botanists, horticulturists, foresters, and millions of tourists.
It also comprises greenhouses, a library, a herbarium, research facilities, and various miscellaneous materials. These supplementary resources include photographs, paintings, illustrations, reprints, notebooks, and many types of specimens, making it more than just a garden.
The Function of a Botanical Garden
Botanic gardens have played various roles throughout history, beginning as medicinal gardens for the study and cultivation of plants with curative characteristics and evolving into a variety of forms, including, of course, pleasure gardens.
However, because their collections are more or less scientific, they are constantly adjusting and meeting the needs of their societies in new ways as new difficulties arise. Currently, Botanical gardens serve the following vital functions.
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Taxonomic Research
Botanical gardens are excellent sources of information on a variety of flora. Flora from the area, bonsai, unusual plants, and so forth. Students and researchers might use them as “outdoor laboratories.”
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Botanical Study
Botanical gardens provide botanical researchers with diverse plant species, seeds, blooms, and fruits.
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Environmental Protection
Rare species and genetic variety are conserved and propagated in botanical gardens.
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List of Species
It provides an annual list of available species and a free seed exchange. Botanical gardens provide information on plant propagation and plant material sales to the general public.
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Education
They are now playing an increasingly important role in the conservation of plants and the education of visitors who come to see them. They reduce the consequences of climate change.
They could be critical to the planet’s survival since they are well-positioned to help species migrate and ecosystems adapt to changing climates in different areas.
Important Botanical Gardens of India
Let us look at some botanical gardens in India.
Bangalore’s Lalbagh Botanical Gardens:
The garden is 50 hectares in size. Hyder Ali began the first design of this garden in the 1760s.
The giant glasshouse where they conduct the yearly flower exhibitions is perhaps the most appealing element of the area. Christmas trees that are tall and magnificent in appearance are a sight to behold.
TNAU Botanical Garden, Coimbatore:
The botanical garden is set against a backdrop of Nilgiri hill ranges within the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University campus. It was founded in 1908 by the Madras Department of Agriculture.
This garden’s design is a balance of formal and informal elements. The most interesting feature is the sunken garden surrounded by a large collection of plants.
The Indian Botanic Garden of Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose, Kolkata:
This magnificent garden was founded in 1787 on 150 acres of land.
It is home to a Botanical Survey of India and is one of the world’s finest botanical gardens. Famous botanists, scientists, and taxonomists serve as the superintendents of this garden, making it one of a kind.
Thousands of trees and shrubs, representing over 2,500 species, are planted in the open areas of the garden. The enormous Banyan tree, which is about 250 years old and covers around 4 acres, is the landmark that draws the most people.
Government Botanical Gardens, Ooty:
This garden is in the Nilgiri highlands at an elevation of 2,200 metres above sea level. It has been in operation since 1848 and spans 20 hectares of climbing terraces.
This garden was one of the first in India to introduce vegetables, spices, condiments, and aromatic plants, such as Cinchona and many rare Eucalyptus species.
Importance of Botanical Gardens
We do not currently have a complete inventory of the world’s plants, but scholars estimate there are approximately 300,000 species.
Many of these species are endangered due to threats of habitat loss, over-exploitation, alien invasive species, pollution, and climate change.
The elimination of such significant and vast amounts of biodiversity offers one of the greatest problems for the international community.
This issue is halting the extinction of plant diversity, which is crucial for meeting humankind’s current and future needs.
Conclusion
Botanic gardens play an important role in studying and appreciating a wide range of plant taxa. We should not overlook their significance.
Too many people think they are outmoded and want to remove their financing. But we need to demonstrate that dynamic and cutting-edge research and public love for plants and the environment are dependent on their continued existence now and in the future.