North Carolina Botanical Garden
Encyclopedia
The North Carolina Botanical Garden (about 700 acres (2.8 km²), plus 210 acre (0.8498406 km²) of nature preserves) is a botanical garden
operated by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
. The primary goal of the Garden is to research, catalog, and promote the native plant species of North Carolina. Admission is free, and the Garden is open seven days a week, with special educational programs offered regularly.
The history of the Garden begins in 1903, when Professor William Chambers Coker began planting trees and shrubs on the central campus (now Coker Arboretum
). In 1952, the Trustees of the university dedicated 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) forested for development of a botanical garden. An additional 103 acre (0.41682658 km²) were donated by William Lanier Hunt. Considerable additions and expansion of the Garden took place from the 1960s onward. The most recent expansion effort is a sustainable Visitor Education Centerhttp://ncbg.unc.edu/pages/4/, designed by architect Frank Harmon.http://www.frankharmon.com/
Today the Garden comprises 14 collections and display gardens, containing some 5,900 accessions representing about 2,500 species of the 4,700 plant species known to be native or naturalized in North and South Carolina. Highlights of the Garden include:
The garden also contains a cabin in which North Carolina Poet Laureate, playwright, and professor Paul Green (1894-1981) performed most of his research and writing. It was moved to the garden in 1991.
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...
operated by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
. The primary goal of the Garden is to research, catalog, and promote the native plant species of North Carolina. Admission is free, and the Garden is open seven days a week, with special educational programs offered regularly.
The history of the Garden begins in 1903, when Professor William Chambers Coker began planting trees and shrubs on the central campus (now Coker Arboretum
Coker Arboretum
Coker Arboretum is an arboretum within the North Carolina Botanical Garden on the campus of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It is open daily without charge.The arboretum was established in 1903 by Dr...
). In 1952, the Trustees of the university dedicated 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) forested for development of a botanical garden. An additional 103 acre (0.41682658 km²) were donated by William Lanier Hunt. Considerable additions and expansion of the Garden took place from the 1960s onward. The most recent expansion effort is a sustainable Visitor Education Centerhttp://ncbg.unc.edu/pages/4/, designed by architect Frank Harmon.http://www.frankharmon.com/
Today the Garden comprises 14 collections and display gardens, containing some 5,900 accessions representing about 2,500 species of the 4,700 plant species known to be native or naturalized in North and South Carolina. Highlights of the Garden include:
- Battle Park, 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) - forest land in the center of the Chapel Hill.
- Carnivorous Plant Collection - an acclaimed collection of carnivorous plantCarnivorous plantCarnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants appear adapted to grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic...
s, including butterworts, pitcher plantPitcher plantPitcher plants are carnivorous plants whose prey-trapping mechanism features a deep cavity filled with liquid known as a pitfall trap. It has been widely assumed that the various sorts of pitfall trap evolved from rolled leaves, with selection pressure favouring more deeply cupped leaves over...
s, sundewSundewDrosera, commonly known as the sundews, comprise one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginous glands covering their leaf surface. The insects are used to supplement...
s, and Venus FlytrapVenus FlytrapThe Venus Flytrap , Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces...
s - Coastal Plain and Sandhills Habitat Gardens - representing the ecosystems in the eastern part of North Carolina.
- Coker ArboretumCoker ArboretumCoker Arboretum is an arboretum within the North Carolina Botanical Garden on the campus of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It is open daily without charge.The arboretum was established in 1903 by Dr...
- The Fern Collection, containing Southeastern fernFernA fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
species. - Garden of Flowering Plant Families - a traditional botanical garden, showing evolutionary relationships between flowering plant groups.
- Horticultural Therapy Demonstration Garden - heirloom vegetables and flowers varieties in plantings designed for persons with limited mobility and reach.
- The Mercer Reeves Hubbard Herb Garden — some 500 species, including 52 RosmarinusRosmarinusRosmarinus is a small genus of woody, perennial herbs with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves in the family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin.-Description:...
officinalis cultivars, arranged in a Culinary Garden, Economic Garden, Medicinal Garden, Native American Garden, and Poison Garden. - William Lanier Hunt ArboretumWilliam Lanier Hunt ArboretumThe William Lanier Hunt Arboretum is an arboretum and natural area that forms part of the North Carolina Botanical Garden. It is operated by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The arboretum is private and not open to the public...
- Mason Farm Biological Reserve, 367 acres (1.5 km²) - natural area.
- Mountain Habitat Garden - plants and trees characteristic of the mountainous areas of the southern Appalachian mountainsAppalachian MountainsThe Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
at elevations ranging from 1500 feet (457.2 m) to 6684 feet (2,037.3 m). - Native Plant Border - native perennials, shrubs, and small trees.
- Native Water Gardens - NymphaeaNymphaeaNymphaea is a genus of aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae. There are about 50 species in the genus, which has a cosmopolitan distribution.-Name:The common name, shared with some other genera in the same family, is Water Lily....
odorata and NelumboNelumboNelumbo is a genus of aquatic plants with large, showy flowers resembling water lilies, commonly known as lotus. The generic name is derived from the Sinhalese word Nelum. There are only two known living species in the genus. The sacred lotus is native to Asia, and is the better known of the two...
lutea, as well as PontederiaPontederiaPontederia is a genus of tristylous aquatic plants, members of which are commonly known as pickerel weeds. Pontederia is endemic to the Americas, distributed from Canada to Argentina, where it is found in shallow water or on mud...
cordata, and many others. All aquatic plants are native to the southeastern United StatesSoutheastern United StatesThe Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
. - UNC Herbarium (earliest collections 1835) - 750,000 natural history specimens documenting the identity and distribution of plants in North Carolina and the Southeast.
The garden also contains a cabin in which North Carolina Poet Laureate, playwright, and professor Paul Green (1894-1981) performed most of his research and writing. It was moved to the garden in 1991.