Giardino Botanico Alpino Saussurea
Encyclopedia
The Giardino Botanico Alpino Saussurea or Jardin botanique alpin Saussurea (7000 m²) is an alpine botanical garden
located at Pavillon du Mont Fréty, first station for the Mont Blanc
cable car, in Courmayeur
, Aosta Valley, Italy
. It describes itself as Europe
's highest botanical garden, at 2173 meters above sea level, and is open daily in the warmer months.
The garden opened in 1987, and named after the flower Saussurea alpina which honors pioneering alpinist Horace-Bénédict de Saussure
(1740-1799). It is managed by the State Forestry Corps and the Autonomous Region of Valle d'Aosta.
The garden is situated on a high ridge south of Mont Blanc
, and contains a rockery, alpine pasture, talus
slopes, and wetland
s. Snow covers the area for 8 to 9 months per year, to a depth of 3-4 meters, disappearing in late June. Plants are identified by a card with family name, gender, species, Italian name, and country of origin. Species include Alnus viridis, Androsace septentrionalis
, Arnica montana
, Artemisia genipi, Artemisia umbelliformis, Aquilegia alpina, Campanula thyrsoides, Centaurea triumphetti, Eringium burgatii, Eritrichium nanum, Gentiana lutea
, Gnaphalium supinum, Leontopodium alpinum, Lilium martagon
, Lychnis alpina, Lychnis flos-jovis
, Minuartia verna, Nardus stricta
, Paeonia officinalis
, Peucedanum ostruthium, Potentilla nepalensis, Pulsatilla halleri, Rhododendron ferrugineum
, Salix herbacea, Silene elisabethae, Trifolium alpinum, Vaccinium myrtillus
, and Veratrum album
.
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...
located at Pavillon du Mont Fréty, first station for the Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...
cable car, in Courmayeur
Courmayeur
Courmayeur is an Italian town and comune in the autonomous region of Aosta Valley, in northern Italy. It is located at the foot of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in western Europe, in the Graian Alps range, and is crossed by the Dora Baltea...
, Aosta Valley, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It describes itself as Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's highest botanical garden, at 2173 meters above sea level, and is open daily in the warmer months.
The garden opened in 1987, and named after the flower Saussurea alpina which honors pioneering alpinist Horace-Bénédict de Saussure
Horace-Bénédict de Saussure
200px|thumb|Portrait of Horace-Bénédict de Saussure Horace-Bénédict de Saussure was a Genevan aristocrat, physicist and Alpine traveller, often considered the founder of alpinism, and considered to be the first person to build a successful solar oven.-Life and work:Saussure was born in Conches,...
(1740-1799). It is managed by the State Forestry Corps and the Autonomous Region of Valle d'Aosta.
The garden is situated on a high ridge south of Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...
, and contains a rockery, alpine pasture, talus
Scree
Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. Landforms associated with these materials are sometimes called scree slopes or talus piles...
slopes, and wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s. Snow covers the area for 8 to 9 months per year, to a depth of 3-4 meters, disappearing in late June. Plants are identified by a card with family name, gender, species, Italian name, and country of origin. Species include Alnus viridis, Androsace septentrionalis
Androsace septentrionalis
Androsace septentrionalis is a species of annual herbaceous plant in the Primrose family , native to North America, Asia, and Europe...
, Arnica montana
Arnica montana
Arnica montana, known commonly as leopard's bane, wolf's bane, mountain tobacco and mountain arnica, is a European flowering plant with large yellow capitula....
, Artemisia genipi, Artemisia umbelliformis, Aquilegia alpina, Campanula thyrsoides, Centaurea triumphetti, Eringium burgatii, Eritrichium nanum, Gentiana lutea
Gentiana lutea
Gentiana lutea is a species of gentian native to the mountains of central and southern Europe. Other names include 'Yellow Gentian', 'Bitter Root', 'Bitterwort', 'Centiyane', and 'Genciana'.-Growth:...
, Gnaphalium supinum, Leontopodium alpinum, Lilium martagon
Lilium martagon
Lilium martagon is a species of lily. It has a widespread native region extending from central Europe east through northern Asia to Mongolia and Korea. Several subspecies have been named. Horticulturally it is in Division 9, It is stem-rooting, growing between 1m and 2m tall...
, Lychnis alpina, Lychnis flos-jovis
Lychnis flos-jovis
Flower-of-Jove is an ornamental plant....
, Minuartia verna, Nardus stricta
Nardus stricta
Nardus stricta is a densely tufted, tough, wiry perennial plant species belonging to the family Poaceae , and found throughout much of the world. It exists on heath, moorland, hills, mountains; on sandy to peaty soils...
, Paeonia officinalis
Paeonia officinalis
Paeonia officinalis, or European peony, Common peony, is the common peony cultivated in Europe for five hundred years. It was first used for medicinal purposes, then grown as an ornamental. Many selections are now used in horticulture, though the typical species is uncommon. Paeonia officinalis is...
, Peucedanum ostruthium, Potentilla nepalensis, Pulsatilla halleri, Rhododendron ferrugineum
Rhododendron ferrugineum
Rhododendron ferrugineum is an evergreen shrub that grows just above the tree line in the Alps, Pyrenees, Jura and northern Apennines, on acid soils. It may grow up to 1 m tall and produces clusters of pinkish-red, bell-shaped flowers throughout the summer...
, Salix herbacea, Silene elisabethae, Trifolium alpinum, Vaccinium myrtillus
Vaccinium myrtillus
Vaccinium myrtillus is an almost Holarctic species of shrub with edible fruit, usually simply referred to as "bilberry" or "whortleberry". It is more precidely called Common Bilberry or Blue Whortleberry, to distinguish it from its Vaccinium relatives...
, and Veratrum album
Veratrum album
Veratrum album, commonly known as the False Helleborine Veratrum album, commonly known as the False Helleborine Veratrum album, commonly known as the False Helleborine (also known as White Hellebore, European White Hellebore, White Veratrum; syn...
.