The Orto Botanico di Villa Beuca (34,000 m²) is a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe 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, an ...

situated in Beuca, on a terrace nearly 100 meters above the sea located around the Villa Beuca not far from the slopes of the Regional Natural Park of Beigua, in

Cogoleto Cogoleto ( lij, Cogoeuo) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about west of Genova. Its territory extends from the sea to the Ligurian Apennines; it is part of the Natural Regiona ...

Province of Genoa The Province of Genoa (Italian ''Provincia di Genova'') was a province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital was the city of Genoa. It was replaced by Metropolitan City of Genoa. Overview It has an area of and a total population of about ...

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. The garden is currently open to the public by appointment on Saturday: for groups and schools, guided tours may be organized; an admission fee is charged. The garden is divided into * a ''didactic sector'' (''Cornice Didattica'') dedicated mainly to exotic species; * the ''Ligurian habitat'' sector (11,000 m²) which is dedicated to the regional flora and vegetation including also the traditional agricultural landscape with its variety of vines and olives; it presents a set of

n environments among which marine cliff, Mediterranean scrub, thermophilic woodlands, mesophilic woodlands, cultivated areas and wetlands * a third area is distributed on a broad slope of natural vegetation (the ''Cornice spontanea''), mainly shrubs, left unchanged.

Exhibits

The Orto Botanico di Villa Beuca hosts a variety of plants from Liguria and around the world, including: * '' Castanea sativa'' * ''

Quercus ilex ''Quercus ilex'', the evergreen oak, holly oak or holm oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the ''Ilex'' section of the genus, with acorns that mature in a single summer. Description An evergreen tr ...

'' * '' Quercus pubescens'' * '' Ruscus aculeatus'' * '' Smilax aspera'' * ''

Viburnum tinus ''Viburnum tinus'', the laurustinus, laurustine or laurestine, is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Adoxaceae, native plant, native to the Mediterranean area of Europe and North Africa. ''Laurus'' signifies the leaves' ...

'' as well as ''

Calluna vulgaris ''Calluna vulgaris'', common heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the genus ''Calluna'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found wid ...

'' * ''

Convolvulus sabatius ''Convolvulus sabatius'', the ground blue-convolvulus or blue rock bindweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae, native to Italy and North Africa, and often seen in cultivation. It is a woody-stemmed trailing perennial ...

'' * '' Cytisus scoparius'' * '' Euphorbia spinosa subsp. ligustica'' * ''

Helichrysum italicum ''Helichrysum italicum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is sometimes called the curry plant because of the strong smell of its leaves. Other common names include Italian strawflower and immortelle. It grows on dry, r ...

'' * ''

Hypericum perforatum ''Hypericum perforatum'', known as St. John's wort, is a flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae and the type species of the genus ''Hypericum''. Possibly a hybrid between '' H. maculatum'' and '' H. attenuatum'', the species can be found a ...

'' * '' Juniperus communis'' * ''

Narcissus pseudonarcissus ''Narcissus pseudonarcissus'' (commonly known as wild daffodil or Lent lily) (Welsh: Cennin Pedr) is a perennial flowering plant. This species has pale yellow tepals, with a darker central trumpet. The long, narrow leaves are slightly greyis ...

'' * ''

Saponaria ocymoides ''Saponaria ocymoides'', the rock soapwort or tumbling Ted, is a species of semi-evergreen perennial flowering plant belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae, native to south western and southern central Europe. Etymology The Latin specific epit ...

'' * ''

Satureja montana ''Satureja montana'' (winter savory or mountain savory), is a perennial, semi-evergreen herb in the family Lamiaceae, native to warm temperate regions of southern Europe, the Mediterranean, and Africa. It has dark green leaves and summer flower ...

'' * '' Thymus pulegioides'' * ''

Ziziphus jujuba Jujube (), sometimes jujuba, known by the scientific name ''Ziziphus jujuba'' and also called red date, Chinese date, and Chinese jujube, is a species in the genus ''Ziziphus'' in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. Description It is a small ...

'' and '' Artemisia absinthium'' * ''

Borago officinalis Borage ( or ; ''Borago officinalis''), also known as starflower, is an annual herb in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region, and has naturalized in many other locales. It grows satisfactorily in gard ...

'' * '' Chelidonium majus'' * ''

Foeniculum vulgare Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalize ...

'' * '' Lavandula angustifolia'' * '' Melissa officinalis'' * '' Origanum vulgare'' * '' Rosmarinus officinalis''

References

* Orto Botanico di Villa Beuca - Official websit
(Italian, with summary in English)
* Mariotti Mauro, ''Il fiore della diversità. L'orto botanico di villa Beuca a Cogoleto'', ERGA, 2001. .

Il Giornale article, November 1, 2007 (Italian)

Cogoleto article (Italian)

Botanical gardens in Italy Gardens in Liguria Buildings and structures in the Province of Genoa Metropolitan City of Genoa {{Italy-garden-stub

Exhibits

See also

References