What are dendrological parks and botanical gardens

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

We often visit parks to relax, get away from the hustle and bustle and immerse ourselves in a calm and peaceful atmosphere. But they can be created not only for recreation and entertainment, but also, for example, have a research focus. Parks come in a variety of types, such as historical, zoological, memorial, but in this article we will talk about dendrological parks and botanical gardens. Let's look at their purpose and history.

Dendrological parks: definition

"Arboretum" is translated from Greek as "tree". The Latin name will sound like "arboretum". The dendrological park is an arboretum zone, which is intended for public recreation. Its territory is reserved for the cultivation of woody plants in the open ground, which are located according to one or another feature, for example, decorative and geographical. It is noted that most often arboretums belong to botanical gardens, but they can also be independent units. Arboretums began to appear in connection with the development of such a field of botany as dendrology.

Let's note the arboretums with the mosta diverse collection of tree species: Sochi, Forestry Academy in St. Petersburg, as well as the Main Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow). The following examples of parks can be distinguished abroad: the Kurnik arboretum in Poland, the arboretum in Kew (near London), the arboretum of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in the Crimea. Arboretums can be narrowly focused, meaning that only certain types of plants can be grown in them. These can be syringarias (specialize in growing lilacs), populetums (poplar), coniferetums or pinarias (conifers), fruticetums (shrubs), viticetums (lianas).

There is a single rule for all arboretums: all trees and shrubs are arranged systematically. That is, those that belong to the same genus will be planted in a separate area. By visiting the arboretum, you can get to know the amazing world of plants that are on the verge of extinction or no longer found in nature.

History of occurrence

The tree in the world of plants has always played an important role, since throughout the history of mankind it has brought great benefits to people. In the 18th century, works on dendrology appeared, but they only reflected the description of the external signs of plants. Later, scientists began to deal with problems such as the acclimatization of trees, the study of their genetics, as well as the creation of new species. Particular attention was paid to the introduction - the introduction of crops in those places that are not typical for their growth.

The tasks that these objects face

Dendrological parks and botanical gardens are directly related to the lands of specially protected areas. They represent a separate category of protected areas, where special collections of plants are created in order to enrich the flora and preserve biodiversity. In addition, they are necessary for the implementation of educational, scientific and educational activities. These environmental institutions develop the scientific foundations of landscape architecture, ornamental gardening, landscaping, introducing wild plants into culture, protecting them from pests and diseases, and much more.

Legal regime of dendrological parks and botanical gardens

Let's look at who controls these territories. The lands on which botanical gardens and dendrological parks are located are transferred to certain institutions for unlimited use. The territories of these objects are divided into different functional zones: exposition, scientific-experimental and administrative.

Natural monuments, dendrological parks, botanical gardens have a special legal regime. The first are established by the decision of the Russian government and the executive bodies of the Russian Federation on the proposal of the authorized state bodies in the field of environmental protection.

Those who are related to land plots on which natural monuments are located are obliged to carry out activities to ensure their special protection regime. Botanical gardens and arboretums can be both regional and federal. On themterritory, activities that are not related to the fulfillment of their tasks and are capable of violating the integrity of floristic objects are prohibited.

An example of a well-known arboretum in Russia

Dendrological, botanical parks and gardens are spread all over the world. There are many of them in Russia. As a good example of such a park, one can name the Sochi Arboretum, which is part of the Sochi National Park. He, like other similar objects, acts as the keeper of the green collection. It is located in the very center of the resort city, being a magnificent corner of exotic flora and fauna. There are more than 1700 species of trees and shrubs, which are collected from different parts of the world.

Sochi Arboretum with its architectural structures, sculptures and fountains looks like a work of art. It appeared in the southern resort at the end of the 19th century, and was reconstructed in the 50s of the last century. Currently, more than 2 thousand species of representatives of the world flora have been planted in the park. It has long been included in the excursion program of most tourists. This tropical kingdom impresses with its variety of exotic plants that bloom even in winter. Not far from it, in the Adlerovsky district, there is also the Southern Cultures dendrological park.

What is a botanical garden?

As defined by the International Council of Botanic Gardens, a botanical garden is an organization that maintains documented collections of living plants that are usedfor research purposes, as well as for educational processes, the conservation of biodiversity and the demonstration of the flora represented in it. Other definitions say that a botanical garden is a landscaped area created for the purposes listed above. That is, the difference in the interpretation of this concept lies only in the fact that it is called either a territory or an organization.

In the modern view, this concept means a specially protected urban green area, on the basis of which landscape gardens, documented green collections are created. Botanical gardens usually have greenhouses, nurseries, herbariums, excursion and educational departments.

In the collection of the Main Botanical Garden, which is located in Moscow, there are many plant species from the countries of the Northern Hemisphere, which could not immediately get used to the unusual climate for them.

When did the botanical garden first appear?

The first botanical garden was created in the XIV century in the Italian city of Salerno, which was famous in the Middle Ages for the oldest medical school in Europe. One of the famous doctors at that time was Matteo Silvatico, who was also a botanist. In those days, various plants were the main source of medicines.

This man first opened a botanical garden: in it, students who were to become doctors in the future could get acquainted with medicinalplants. The name was given to him in honor of the ancient Roman goddess of wisdom - "Garden of Minerva". It became the place where plants were grown for scientific purposes. Such gardens later began to spread in Italy, and then appeared in other European countries. At first, they retained a medical focus, and then began to be created for other purposes.

Botanical garden activities

In our country, for the first time, a botanical garden appeared under Peter I, namely in 1706. It was created in order to grow medicinal plants in it, and the name only emphasized its focus - "Apothecary Garden". But he also carried out educational tasks. The king himself then planted larch, fir and spruce in the garden so that visitors could clearly see the differences between them.

Botanical gardens are protected natural areas and scientific institutions. Their area is divided into sectors that correspond to certain climatic zones. For those plants that cannot take root in the open field, greenhouses are built in which proper conditions are created. As scientific institutions, botanical gardens perform the following tasks: the study of plants and the conservation of rare species. These institutions have herbarium collections, libraries of literature on botany, and excursion departments.

China has the largest botanical garden, the scale of which is amazing. It is crossed by 13 rivers, it has mountains and gorges. in NikitskyThe botanical garden, which is located on the Crimean peninsula, grows an olive that is more than 2000 years old. The largest botanical garden in Europe is the Main Botanical Garden named after N. V. Tsitsin of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow). The northernmost point in the world where such a facility is located is Norway. In our country, it is located on the Kola Peninsula.

Conclusion

Based on the information presented here, the great importance of such objects as dendrological parks and botanical gardens becomes more obvious. They carry many functions and reflect the beauty of the flora of our planet. In these corners of nature, created by man, in one place you can see various types of plants collected from many countries of the world.