George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens
Encyclopedia
The George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens are botanical garden
s located 2 km North of the CBD of Darwin
, Northern Territory
, Australia
. The gardens cover 42 hectares and are noted for their collections of north Australian and other tropical species.
The gardens were established on their present site in 1886; this was the third attempt by European settlers of Darwin
to establish a site where plants of economic importance could be tested for their suitability in the tropics. Initially the collection of the gardens was focussed on economic gardening and the ornamental plantings. The gardens were severely damaged during Cyclone Tracy
in 1974, 89% of all plants were lost. Restoration after the cyclone was led by George Brown, who had worked at the gardens since 1969 and served as curator from 1971 to 1990, and became Lord Mayor of Darwin in 1992 until 2002. The gardens were renamed in 2002 to recognised George Brown's contribution and 32 years service to the development of the gardens.
In 2000 Darwin's historic former Wesleyan methodist church was moved from Knuckey Street and reconstructed at the Gardens. It is the oldest surviving building in Darwin.
wet forest and those found on the Arnhem Land
escarpment. The gardens also has a large collection of native and introduced tropical plants including cycad
s, palm
s, Adansonia
, ginger
s and heliconia
s.
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...
s located 2 km North of the CBD of Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The gardens cover 42 hectares and are noted for their collections of north Australian and other tropical species.
History
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
to establish a site where plants of economic importance could be tested for their suitability in the tropics. Initially the collection of the gardens was focussed on economic gardening and the ornamental plantings. The gardens were severely damaged during Cyclone Tracy
Cyclone Tracy
Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974...
in 1974, 89% of all plants were lost. Restoration after the cyclone was led by George Brown, who had worked at the gardens since 1969 and served as curator from 1971 to 1990, and became Lord Mayor of Darwin in 1992 until 2002. The gardens were renamed in 2002 to recognised George Brown's contribution and 32 years service to the development of the gardens.
In 2000 Darwin's historic former Wesleyan methodist church was moved from Knuckey Street and reconstructed at the Gardens. It is the oldest surviving building in Darwin.
Collection
The gardens contain a major collection of Northern Australian monsoon flora; these include communities like mangroves, monsoon vine thicket, Tiwi IslandsTiwi Islands
The Tiwi Islands are part of Australia's Northern Territory, north of Darwin where the Arafura Sea joins the Timor Sea. They comprise Melville Island and Bathurst Island, with a combined area of ....
wet forest and those found on the Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land
The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
escarpment. The gardens also has a large collection of native and introduced tropical plants including cycad
Cycad
Cycads 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, palm
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...
s, Adansonia
Adansonia
Adansonia is a genus of eight species of tree, six native to Madagascar, one native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and one to Australia. The mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that island....
, 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....
s and heliconia
Heliconia
Heliconia, derived from the Greek word helikonios, is a genus of about 100 to 200 species of flowering plants native to the tropical Americas and the Pacific Ocean islands west to Indonesia. Many species of Heliconia are found in rainforests or tropical wet forests of these regions...
s.