The Lautaret Alpine Garden (Jardin botanique alpin du Lautaret) (2 hectares) is an alpine

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 ...

located at 2100 metres altitude in the

Col du Lautaret Col du Lautaret () is a high mountain pass in the department of Hautes-Alpes in France. It marks the boundary between the valleys of the Romanche and the Guisane, a tributary of the Durance which has its source at the col. The valleys are linke ...

of the

Dauphiné Alps The Dauphiné Alps (french: Alpes du Dauphiné) are a group of mountain ranges in Southeastern France, west of the main chain of the Alps. Mountain ranges within the Dauphiné Alps include the Massif des Écrins in Écrins National Park, Belledon ...

, near

Villar-d'Arêne Villar-d'Arêne (; oc, Vilars d'Arena) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France, between Grenoble and Briançon. It is in the French Alps, in Massif des Écrins. Near this village located in the Romanche valley, the ...

Hautes-Alpes Hautes-Alpes (; oc, Auts Aups; en, Upper Alps) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population of 141,220 ...

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pref ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. It is part of the

List of Remarkable Gardens of France The Remarkable Gardens of France is intended to be a list and description, by region, of the more than three hundred gardens classified as ''"Jardins remarquables"'' by the Ministry of Culture and the Comité des Parcs et Jardins de Fr ...

certified by the Ministry of Culture (France). Today the garden contains more than 2,300

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of alpine plants from around the world and a herbarium of 15 000 plants collected over the last 150 years. The garden continues to be managed by the

Université Grenoble Alpes The Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA, French: meaning "''Grenoble Alps University''") is a public research university in Grenoble, France. Founded in 1339, it is the third largest university in France with about 60,000 students and over 3,000 resea ...

as it has since its creation. Plants are presented in rockeries (4500 m²) corresponding to four major themes: geographical origin, habitat, properties, and taxonomy. The garden was created in 1899 by combined effort of the Touring Club de France, Professor Jean-Paul Lachmann of the Université scientifique de Grenoble, and M. Bonnabel, local hotelier. It was moved in 1919 to make way for a new road, and is now sited with excellent views of the

Meije La Meije is a mountain in the Massif des Écrins range, located at the border of the Hautes-Alpes and Isère ''départements''. It overlooks the nearby village of La Grave, a mountaineering centre and ski resort, well known for its off-piste ...

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

s. The garden was abandoned during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, subsequently restored by Robert Ruffier-Lanche, declined again after his death in 1973, and revived in the early 1980s. In 1998 it was recognized by the ''Conservatoire des Collections Végétales Spécialisées'' (CCVS), and in 2005 it became a part of the Joseph Fourier Alpine Station. Joseph Fourier Alpine Station is a research and teaching institution of the university. The garden thus serves as a field base for scientific research, Masters and PhD programs, and field internships. Among its facilities the garden has two chalets for researchers and equipment, a research lab, a workshop, an experimental garden and an experimental nursery. An Alpine Gallery was constructed in 2016 to expand additional space for visitors and researchers. The garden is also open to general public in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged. File:Jardin_botanique_alpin_du_Lautaret_300_m_à_droite_01.jpg, Entrance File:Col_du_Lautaret_-546.jpg, Garden gates File:Col_du_Lautaret-2822_-_Flickr_-_Ragnhild_%26_Neil_Crawford.jpg,

File:ColDuLautaretJA.jpg, In the Garden File:Col_du_Lautaret_-548.jpg,

Chalet A chalet (pronounced in British English; in American English usually ), also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, typical of the Alpine region in Europe. It is made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof and wide, well-suppo ...

Miranda for projects teams File:Polemonium_boreale_001.JPG, Rare arctic Polemonium boreale File:Erinus_alpinus_01.jpg, Erinus alpinus

References

Jardin botanique alpin du Lautaret

Grenoble Montagne description (French)

01 Lautaret, Jardin botanique alpin du Lautaret, Jardin botanique alpin du {{France-garden-stub

See also

References