Anderson Park is a 20 hectare arboretum

Arboretum

An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...

 in the suburb of Pimlico in Townsville, Queensland

Townsville, Queensland

Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...

.

The Gardens

It contains many fine examples of tropical northern Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

 trees, ferns, palms

Arecaceae

Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...

 and one of the world's largest pandanus

Pandanus

Pandanus is a genus of monocots with about 600 known species. They are numerous palmlike dioecious trees and shrubs native of the Old World tropics and subtropics. They are classified in the order Pandanales, family Pandanaceae.-Overview:...

 collection.

The Plant Collection

• Pandanus - includes most of the Australian pandanus species as well as others from New Guinea, South-East Asia, the western Pacific Islands and Madagascar.
• Cape York Section - This area features palms, gingers, Australian pandanus and ornamental trees from Far North Queensland including Cape York Peninsula.
• Palms - highlights include the Bismarckia nobilis; Orbignya cohune, Hyphaene
  Hyphaene
  Hyphaene is a genus of eight species of palms which includes the Doum palm . They are unusual among palms in having regular naturally branched trunks; most other palms are single-stemmed from the ground.-References:*...
  
   and Latania
  Latania
  Latania commonly known as Latan palm is a genus of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It contains the following species:* Latania loddigesii * Latania lontaroides...
  
   species.
• Conservatory - open only by appointment. It houses a collection of tropical plants including bromeliads, gingers, aroids, nepenthes (Pitcher plants), palms and cycads.
• Tropical Fruit Orchard - includes lychee
  Lychee
  The lychee is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is a tropical and subtropical fruit tree native to Southern China and Southeast Asia, and now cultivated in many parts of the world...
  
  , black sapote
  Black sapote
  Diospyros digyna, the Black Sapote, is a species of persimmon that is native to eastern Mexico and Central America south to Colombia. Other names include Chocolate Pudding Fruit, Chocolate Persimmon and Zapote Prieto.-Description:Mature trees can grow to over in height and are evergreen. It is...
  
  , papaw
  Papaya
  The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
  
  , breadfruit
  Breadfruit
  Breadfruit is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry family, Moraceae, growing throughout Southeast Asia and most Pacific Ocean islands...
  
  , wampee, miracle fruit
  Miracle fruit
  Synsepalum dulcificum produces berries that, when eaten, cause sour foods subsequently consumed to taste sweet. This effect is due to miraculin, which is used commercially as a sugar substitute. Common names for this species and its berry include miracle fruit and miracle berry...
  
  , dates, cashews, jackfruit
  Jackfruit
  The jackfruit is a species of tree in the Artocarpus genus of the mulberry family . It is native to parts of Southern and Southeast Asia. It is the national fruit of Bangladesh, . The jackfruit tree is believed to be indigenous to the southwestern rain forests of India...
  
  , longan
  Longan
  Dimocarpus longan, commonly known as the longan, is a tropical tree native to South and Southeast Asia, in the Indomalaya ecozone known for its edible fruit.-Vernacular names:The fruit is known as longan or longyan in English...
  
  , palm hearts, cinnamon
  Cinnamon
  Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
  
  , cloves, coffee
  Coffee
  Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
  
  , turmeric
  Turmeric
  Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to tropical South Asia and needs temperatures between 20 °C and 30 °C and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive...
  
   and ginger
  Ginger
  Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
  
  .

History

Part of the land was purchased in 1929 from the Water and Electricity Supply Department, although much of this is now taken up by the Mundingburra State School

Mundingburra, Queensland

Mundingburra is a suburb of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It is predominantly a residential suburb that is situated on the bank of the Ross River, adjacent to the suburb of Annandale...

 and the Townsville Jubilee Bowls Club. The Park was named in 1932 in appreciation of the work of William Anderson (1845 - 1935), City of Townsville's first Curator of Parks (1878 - 1934). In the same year the earliest recorded plantings occurred - these Raintree

Samanea saman

Albizia samanalso known as samanea saman, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to the Neotropics. Its range extends from Mexico south to Peru and Brazil, but it has been widely introduced to South and Southeast Asia, as well as the Pacific Islands, including...

, Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...

 and Melaleuca

Melaleuca

Melaleuca is a genus of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae known for its natural soothing and cleansing properties. There are well over 200 recognised species, most of which are endemic to Australia...

 trees now dominate the landscape. Further land was added in 1956 and 1963 through land acquisitions. The present design was prepared in 1962 by Alan Wilson, a Landscape Architect and Superintendent of Parks (1959 – 1969).

See also

There are two other botanical gardens in Townsville:

• Queens Gardens, Townsville
  Queens Gardens, Townsville
  Queens Gardens are one of three botanical gardens of Townsville, Queensland. Queens Gardens are located in the suburb of North Ward, at the base of Castle Hill, near to both the city centre and The Strand beachside park. They have been called Townsville's finest park.-Layout:The park covers over 4...
  
  
• The Palmetum, Townsville
  The Palmetum, Townsville
  The Palmetum is one of three botanical gardens of Townsville, Queensland. The Palmetum are located in the suburb of Annandale, near the Ross River, James Cook University and the Townsville Hospital.-Gardens:...
  
  

External links

• Townsville Parks Service: Anderson Park page