The Palmetum is one of three botanical gardens of Townsville, Queensland

Townsville, Queensland

Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...

. The Palmetum are located in the suburb of Annandale

Annandale, Queensland

Annandale is a suburb of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It borders the southern side of Ross River. It is the biggest suburb of Townsville and thus the most populated in the city...

, near the Ross River, James Cook University

James Cook University

James Cook University is a public university based in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The university has two Australian campuses, located in Townsville and Cairns respectively, and an international campus in Singapore. JCU is the second oldest university in Queensland—proclaimed in 1970—and the...

 and the Townsville Hospital

Townsville Hospital

The Townsville Hospital is a public tertiary care hospital in the city of Townsville and serves patients from the entire North Queensland region, with patients from as far as Mount Isa and Cape York being airlifted or transported to the Hospital on a daily basis. The hospital is relatively new and...

.

Gardens

The Palmetum is a botanical garden featuring only one family of plants, the palm. The park covers almost 17 hectares. The garden's a collection encloses all six subfamilies within the family Arecaceae

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...

, with a total of about 300 species represented. Many are considered rare and threatened in their natural habitat. Around 50% of these species are naturally found in Australia which makes the plantarium a diverse experience. 60% of the plants currently in palmetum are labelled. A boardwalk within the park follows the wetland path and also around the small inlet from Ross River.

History

The Palmetum was officially opened in September 1988 as a Bicentennial project. Townsville’s Japanese sister city Tokuyama funded the initial development of the Licuala Walk and Tokuyama Garden, which was completed in 1996. The Blackhawk Memorial was completed in 1997, dedicated to the 18 soldiers who lost their lives in a training exercise accident at the High Range Training Area.

See also

There are two other botanical gardens in Townsville:

• Anderson Park, Townsville
• Queens Gardens, Townsville
  Queens Gardens, Townsville
  Queens Gardens are one of three botanical gardens of Townsville, Queensland. Queens Gardens are located in the suburb of North Ward, at the base of Castle Hill, near to both the city centre and The Strand beachside park. They have been called Townsville's finest park.-Layout:The park covers over 4...