San Juan Botanical Garden
Encyclopedia
The San Juan Botanical Garden, also known as the Botanical Garden
of the University of Puerto Rico
, is located in the Caribbean
city of San Juan
, capital of Puerto Rico
. This lush 300 acres (1.2 km²) “urban garden” of native and exotic flora
serves as a laboratory for the study, conservation and enrichment of plants, trees, flowers, grasses and many other plants. Seventy-five acres are landscaped and open to the general public as well as researchers.
The entrance is located off the south side of the intersection of Highway 1 and Road 847 in Río Piedras
. The “Bosque Urbano del Nuevo Milenio” or (Urban Forest of the New Millennium), a project for the conservation and growth of the urban forest
, is on the eastern side of the Botanical Garden.
, the Botanical Garden was inaugurated on March 10, 1971.
Administratively, it functions as a part of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus
. Its international identification code is UPR. Fred Schaffner is the director.
The Garden was partially opened to the public from 1971 until 1989. However, in the wake of Hurricane Hugo
, the Garden was closed for reconstruction until it could reopen for visitors in 1991. The Garden's botanical collections, lakes, falls and shelters are well connected by paths, roads and walkways, allowing the visitor to know and better appreciate the value of native and tropical flora.
A Master Plan is under construction which includes the development of public spaces, display exhibits, linkages for the new Tren Urbano
with the University of Puerto Rico
, “Bosque Urbano del Nuevo Milenio”, the Río Piedras River and floodplain restoration.
The Botanic Garden exhibits several thematic collections http://www.upr.clu.edu/jardin/jartem.htm comprising tropical and subtropical plants. It also exhibits a fine collection of modern sculptures http://www.upr.clu.edu/jardin/escult.htm by renowned artists of Puerto Rico and Hispanic America.
The Garden comprises a living laboratory for informal instruction of the community in all aspects of the native flora and the other plants which are cultivated here.
identified: * Argythamnia stahlii (Urb.) * Senna pendula var. stahlii (Urb.) Irwin & Barneby * Eugenia stahlii (Kiaersk.) Krug & (Urb.) * Lyonia stahlii (Urb. ) * Ternstroemia stahlii (Krug & Urb.) The genus Stahlia is represented by a single species, Stahlia monosperma (Tul.) (Urb.), found in the wild only in Puerto Rico and the eastern Dominican Republic
. This species, listed as Endangered, is known in Puerto Rico under the name of Cóbana Negra.
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...
of the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
, is located in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
city of San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, capital of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. This lush 300 acres (1.2 km²) “urban garden” of native and exotic flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
serves as a laboratory for the study, conservation and enrichment of plants, trees, flowers, grasses and many other plants. Seventy-five acres are landscaped and open to the general public as well as researchers.
The entrance is located off the south side of the intersection of Highway 1 and Road 847 in Río Piedras
Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
Río Piedras is a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1714, it has been the home of the University of Puerto Rico's main campus since 1903, earning the town the popular name of Ciudad Universitaria...
. The “Bosque Urbano del Nuevo Milenio” or (Urban Forest of the New Millennium), a project for the conservation and growth of the urban forest
Urban forest
An urban forest is a forest or a collection of trees that grow within a city, town or a suburb. In a wider sense it may include any kind of woody plant vegetation growing in and around human settlements. In a narrower sense it describes areas whose ecosystems are inherited from wilderness...
, is on the eastern side of the Botanical Garden.
Background
The botanical garden, proposed in 1959, was endorsed by the Council of Higher Education of Puerto Rico on 12 September, 1969. On the initiative of Mr. Arturo Roque and supported by the President of the University, Dr. Jaime BenítezJaime Benitez
Jaime Benítez Rexach was a Puerto Rican author, academic and politician. He was the longest serving chancellor and the first president of the University of Puerto Rico.-Early life:...
, the Botanical Garden was inaugurated on March 10, 1971.
Administratively, it functions as a part of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez or Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez in Spanish , is a land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant state university located in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico...
. Its international identification code is UPR. Fred Schaffner is the director.
The Garden was partially opened to the public from 1971 until 1989. However, in the wake of Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...
, the Garden was closed for reconstruction until it could reopen for visitors in 1991. The Garden's botanical collections, lakes, falls and shelters are well connected by paths, roads and walkways, allowing the visitor to know and better appreciate the value of native and tropical flora.
A Master Plan is under construction which includes the development of public spaces, display exhibits, linkages for the new Tren Urbano
Tren Urbano
The Tren Urbano — or Urban Train in English — is a fully automated rapid transit that serves the metropolitan area of San Juan, which includes the municipalities of San Juan, Bayamón and Guaynabo. It is electrified by third rail at 750 V DC...
with the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
, “Bosque Urbano del Nuevo Milenio”, the Río Piedras River and floodplain restoration.
Collections
- GARDEN OF HELICONIAS
- Brightly colored heliconiaHeliconiaHeliconia, 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 native to tropical AmericasAmericasThe Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. There is also a small group of Heliconias from Asia.- BAMBOO CHAPEL
- A small chapel in a feathery bambooBambooBamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
forest.- ORCHID GARDEN
- A grand selection of orchidOrchidaceaeThe Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...
species with a special collection of CattleyaCattleyaCattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids from Costa Rica to tropical South America. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after Sir William Cattley who received and successfully cultivated specimens of Cattleya labiata that were used as packing material in a shipment of other orchids...
.- MONET’S GARDEN
- An adaptation of Monet'sClaude MonetClaude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
own aquatic garden in GivernyGivernyGiverny is a commune in the Eure department in north-western France. It is best known as the location of Claude Monet's garden and home.-Location:Giverny sits on the "right bank" of the River Seine where the river Epte meets the Seine...
with its water liliesNymphaeaceaeNymphaeaceae is a family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called water lilies and live in freshwater areas in temperate and tropical climates around the world. The family contains eight genera. There are about 70 species of water lilies around the world. The genus...
to the tropical milieu.- PALMETUM
- Gathers over 125 species of palmsArecaceaeArecaceae 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...
.- AQUATIC GARDEN
- Collection includes papyrusCyperus papyrusCyperus papyrus is a monocot belonging to the sedge family Cyperaceae. It is a herbaceous perennial native to Africa, and forms tall stands of reed-like swamp vegetation in shallow water....
and red sealing wax palms.- TAÍNO GARDEN
- An arboretumArboretumAn 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...
with a collection of species of trees found locally that were useful in the daily life of the Taíno Indians.- THE HERBARIUM
- A collection of over 36,000 specimens available for study and research by University students and researchers from Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and other parts of the world. The new herbarium's facilities are being finished.
The Garden comprises a living laboratory for informal instruction of the community in all aspects of the native flora and the other plants which are cultivated here.
Native species in danger of extinction
The endemic plants of Puerto Rico, including some which are threatened in the wild or in danger of extinction, are found in the northern part of the Garden. Here are the plants that the Puerto Rican botanist Agustín StahlAgustín Stahl
Dr. Agustín Stahl , was a medical doctor and the first renowned Puerto Rican scientist, with diverse interests in the fields of ethnology, botany and zoology. He advocated Puerto Rico's independence from Spain....
identified: * Argythamnia stahlii (Urb.) * Senna pendula var. stahlii (Urb.) Irwin & Barneby * Eugenia stahlii (Kiaersk.) Krug & (Urb.) * Lyonia stahlii (Urb. ) * Ternstroemia stahlii (Krug & Urb.) The genus Stahlia is represented by a single species, Stahlia monosperma (Tul.) (Urb.), found in the wild only in Puerto Rico and the eastern Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. This species, listed as Endangered, is known in Puerto Rico under the name of Cóbana Negra.
Affiliation
The San Juan Botanical Garden is an institutional member of the following professional organizations:- American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta (APGA)
- Center for Plant Conservation
- BGCI – Botanic Gardens Conservation International
See also
- BotanyBotanyBotany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
- Botanical gardens
- List of botanical gardens
- List of botanical gardens in the United States
- List of endemic flora of Puerto Rico
- List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico
- Plant collectingPlant collectingPlant collecting involves procuring live or dried plant specimens, for the purposes of research, cultivation or as a hobby.-Collection of live specimens:...