1. Botanical Gardens
A botanical Garden is mainly a place for growing plants, which produce colourful and varieties of flowers. More than that, the botanical garden serves as a rich source of material for persons pursuing scientific research. In addition it also helps in creating an awareness on the rich diversity in plant life, among the general public.
2. A botanical garden will primarily have the following collections:
- Different varieties of cultivated, ornamental and economically important plants.
- Different varieties of medicinal plants.
- Plants that live in habitats like deserts, marshy places, aquatic habitats, Alpine plants, etc.
- Plants that have been mentioned in religious literature.
- Plants unique to the locality and plants of curiousities.
The botanical garden will have different sections for different fields of interest. It will have a section for showing morphological variations in plants, a section for exhibiting modes of fruits and seed dispersal, a breeding garden for experiments on heredity. A taxonomic garden to assist in identification of plant families and a section devoted to plants of economic importance. In addition, it will have separate sections on tissue culture and hydroponics. Also attached to the botanical garden will be a green house and a nursery. Apart from these will be a herbarium, a resourceful library and a seminar Hall.
3. Famous Botanical Garden in the world
a) Royal Botanical Garden, Kew, England: It is the largest botanical garden in the world, spread over 200 acres of land. It has a huge collection of living plants and the most modern and well equipped laboratories. It also has a huge herbarium.
Bentham and Hooker, the famous taxonomists were closely associated with this botanical garden.
b) Orto Botanica of Pediatric(Italy) : It is the oldest botanical garden in Europe, founded in 545. It has a rich collection of a variety of plants, particularly grasses, orchids and arids.
Major botanical gardens of India
a) National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow: Formerly called as National Botanical Garden, this Institute is spread over an area of 75 acres. It has sections like orchid house, palms house, cactus house, portable garden, hydroponic um, vertical garden, a climber pergola and a medicinal plot. There is also a lake for aquatic plants. There is a herbarium attached to this garden. It has a collection of representatives of Indian flora.
b) Lloyd Botanical Garden, Darjeeling: It is situated in the eastern Himalayan region, at an altitude of about 2,000 meters, spread over 40 acres of area. It has a good collection of indigenous and exotic varieties of plants. There is also a good herbarium collection.
c) Indian Botanical Garden, Kolkata: It has a good collection of orchids, palms, Lian as, and lilies. It houses the famous giant Banyan tree which is more than 200 years old.
d) Lal Bagh Botanical Garden, Bangalore: It is one of the famous botanical Garden. It has a tree nursery and plant breeding and research station.