The Giardino Botanico Montano di Pratorondanino is a nature preserve and botanical garden

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 750 meters altitude in Pratorondanino, Campo Ligure

Campo Ligure

Campo Ligure is a comune in the Province of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about 37 km northwest of Genoa.Campo Ligure borders the following municipalities: Bosio, Masone, Rossiglione, Tiglieto.- Geography :...

, Province of Genoa

Province of Genoa

The Province of Genoa is a province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Genoa.It has an area of 1,838 km², and a total population of about 900,000...

, Liguria

Liguria

Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...

, 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 is open during the warmer months.

The garden was established in 1979 by GLAO (Group Ligure Amatori Orchids), and since 1983 has expanded to encompass additional species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

, primarily from the Alps

Alps

The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....

 and Apennine

Apennine

-Other places on Earth:*The Apennine or Italian peninsula*Apennins, a department of the first French Empire-Plants and animals:*The Apennine , a modern breed of domestic sheep.*Apennine Shrew, an insectivore endemic to Italy...

 mountain.

Today its collections include 14 species of rhododendron

Rhododendron

Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...

s; 2 specimens commonly called sequoia

Sequoia (disambiguation)

Sequoia or Sequoyah or Sequoya may refer to:-Biology:* Sequoioideae, a subfamily of the cypress family.** Sequoia , a genus with one living and several fossil species.*** Sequoia sempervirens, coast redwood....

: Sequoiadendron giganteum and Sequoia sempervirens; Ginkgo biloba; a rare Wollemia nobilis; many orchids especially Cypripedium

Cypripedium

Cypripedium is a genus of 47 species of lady's-slipper orchids native to temperate and colder regions of the Northern Hemisphere.Some grow in the tundra in Alaska and Siberia, which is an unusually cold habitat for orchids. They can withstand extreme cold, growing under the snow and blooming when...

; Liguria

Liguria

Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...

n mountain flora including Viola bertolonii

Viola bertolonii

Viola bertolonii is a species of violet known by the common name Bertoloni's Pansy, belonging to the Violaceae family.-Etymology:The genus name, derived from the Latin word “viere” meaning “to tie”, possibly refers to the flexuosity of these plants...

and Cerastium utriense

Cerastium utriense

Cerastium utriense is a species of perennial flowering plant in the genus Cerastium, belonging to the pink family.-Description:Cerastium utriense is a hemicryptophyte scapose plant reaching on average of height, with a maximum of . It takes the form of a mat or clump...

; a collection of 50 Sempervivum and numerous Sedum

Sedum

Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, members of which are commonly known as stonecrops. It contains around 400 species of leaf succulents that are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, varying from annual and creeping herbs to shrubs. The plants have...

; and endangered species including Eryngium alpinum

Eryngium alpinum

Eryngium alpinum is a herbaceous perennial plant of Eryngium genus, belonging to the Apiaceae family.-Etymology:...

, Lilium pomponium

Lilium pomponium

Lilium pomponium is a species of lily native to Europe.-External links:*...

and Wulfenia carinthiaca

Wulfenia carinthiaca

Wulfenia carinthiaca, commonly named Wulfenia, is a plant of the plantain family. The Wulfenia is endemic to the Gartnerkofel mountain of the Carnic Alps at the Austro-Italian border....

. It also contains numerous trees common to the region, including Abies alba, Fagus sylvatica, Larix decidua, Castanea sativa, Picea abies, Pinus mugo, Prunus avium

Prunus avium

Prunus avium, commonly called wild cherry, sweet cherry, bird cherry, or gean, is a species of cherry, native to Europe, west Turkey, northwest Africa, and western Asia, from the British Isles south to Morocco and Tunisia, north to the Trondheimsfjord region in Norway and east to the Caucasus, and...

, Quercus petraea, Robinia pseudoacacia, Sorbus aucuparia

Sorbus aucuparia

Sorbus aucuparia , is a species of the genus Sorbus, native to most of Europe except for the far south, and northern Asia...

, and Taxus baccata

Taxus baccata

Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...

.