Botanischer Garten der Universität Heidelberg
Encyclopedia
The Botanischer Garten der Universität Heidelberg (2 hectares), also known as the Botanischer Garten Heidelberg, is a botanical garden
maintained by the University of Heidelberg. It is located at Im Neuenheimer Feld 340, Heidelberg
, Baden-Württemberg
, Germany
; portions are open to the public daily except Saturday without charge.
The garden was established in 1593 as a hortus medicus for the University of Heidelberg. As such, it is the third oldest botanical garden in Germany, but has moved seven times since its establishment. The present site was created in 1915 by Georg Albrecht Klebs and head gardner Erich Behnick. It was severely damaged in World War II
but has subsequently been rebuilt.
Today the garden contains over 14,000 plant taxa
, with a primary focus on its greenhouse
collections (4000 m² total area), with strengths in succulents, orchids, and bromeliads. The following 11 special collections form its core holdings:
The garden's outdoor sections contains plants from bog
s and heath
, an alpine garden, fern
ravine and inland dune, weedy vineyard
, and a systematic collection. The herbarium
contains over 250,000 specimens representing more than 50,000 taxa
.
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
maintained by the University of Heidelberg. It is located at Im Neuenheimer Feld 340, Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
, Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
; portions are open to the public daily except Saturday without charge.
The garden was established in 1593 as a hortus medicus for the University of Heidelberg. As such, it is the third oldest botanical garden in Germany, but has moved seven times since its establishment. The present site was created in 1915 by Georg Albrecht Klebs and head gardner Erich Behnick. It was severely damaged in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
but has subsequently been rebuilt.
Today the garden contains over 14,000 plant taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
, with a primary focus on its greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
collections (4000 m² total area), with strengths in succulents, orchids, and bromeliads. The following 11 special collections form its core holdings:
- AristolochiaceaeAristolochiaceaeThe Aristolochiaceae, or the Birthwort family, are a family of flowering plants with 7 genera and about 400 species belonging to the order Piperales...
- BromeliaceaeBromeliaceaeBromeliaceae is a family of monocot flowering plants of around 3,170 species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana...
(2854 accessions, 1145 spp.) - Carnivorous plantCarnivorous plantCarnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants appear adapted to grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic...
s - CycadCycadCycads are seed plants typically characterized by a stout and woody trunk with a crown of large, hard and stiff, evergreen leaves. They usually have pinnate leaves. The individual plants are either all male or all female . Cycads vary in size from having a trunk that is only a few centimeters...
s - CyclanthaceaeCyclanthaceaeCyclanthaceae is a family of flowering plants.-Classification:The APG system and the APG II system assign it to the order Pandanales in the clade monocots...
- Mediterranean Geophytes
- Succulents of MadagascarMadagascarThe Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
(1501 accessions, 847 ssp.) - Succulents of the New WorldNew WorldThe New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
(2342 accessions, 1695 spp.) - Succulents of the Old WorldOld WorldThe Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
(3563 accessions, 2314 spp.) - Tropical FernFernA fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s - Tropical Orchids (4852 accessions, 3510 spp.)
The garden's outdoor sections contains plants from bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
s and heath
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
, an alpine garden, fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
ravine and inland dune, weedy vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
, and a systematic collection. The herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
contains over 250,000 specimens representing more than 50,000 taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
.