The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden or Jardim Botânico is located at the
Jardim Botânico district in the
South Zone of
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
.
The Botanical Garden shows the diversity of Brazilian and foreign flora. There are around 6,500 species (some endangered) distributed throughout an area of as well as numerous greenhouses. The garden also houses monuments of historical, artistic, and archaeological significance. There is an important research center, which includes the most complete library in the country specializing in botany with over 32,000 volumes.
It was founded in 1808 by King
John VI of Portugal
Dom John VI (Portuguese: ''João VI''; 13 May 1767 – 10 March 1826), nicknamed "the Clement", was King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves from 1816 to 1825. Although the United Kingdom of Portugal ceased to exist ' ...
. Originally intended for the acclimatization of spices like
nutmeg
Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus '' Myristica''. '' Myristica fragrans'' (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, ...
,
pepper and
cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...
imported from the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Grea ...
, the garden was opened to the public in 1822, and is now open during daylight hours every day except 25 December and 1 January.
The park lies at the foot of the Corcovado Mountain, far below the right arm of the statue of ''
Christ the Redeemer'' and contains more than 6,000 different species of tropical and subtropical plants and trees, including 900 varieties of palm trees. A line of 134 palms forms the Avenue of Royal Palms leading from the entrance into the gardens. These palms all descended from a single tree, the Palma Mater, long since destroyed by lightning. Only about 40% of the park is cultivated, the remainder being
Atlantic Forest
The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and th ...
rising up the slopes of
Corcovado
Corcovado (korcovádo) which means "hunchback" in Portuguese, is a mountain in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a 710-metre (2,329 ft) granite peak located in the Tijuca Forest, a national park.
Corcovado hill lies just west of the ...
. The park is protected by the Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional and was designated as a biosphere reserve by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
in 1992.
The Botanical Garden has an important research institute, which develops a wide range of botanical studies in Brazil. The institute has taxonomists who specialize in the identification and conservation of the neotropical flora.
The gardens house collections that include
bromeliads
The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ...
,
orchids
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
,
carnivorous plants
Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their Plant nutrition, nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants still generate some of their energy from ph ...
, and
cacti
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gree ...
. These include Brazil’s largest botanical library and collections of dried fruits, rare Brazilian plants, and many photographs. The painted cast-iron Fountain of the Muses was made in Derby, UK, and until 1895 was sited at Henrique Lage's villa at Largo da Lapa, as part of the landscaping by the English painter John Tydall.
[''Michelin Travel Guide Rio de Janeiro'' 2009:177; ]Illustration
An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vide ...
.
The park contains 140 species of birds, many of which have become accustomed to humans and are consequently much easier to observe than in the wild. These include the
channel-billed toucan,
rusty-margined guan,
slaty-breasted wood rail and the endangered endemic
white-necked hawk
The white-necked hawk (''Buteogallus lacernulatus'') is a Vulnerable species of bird of prey in subfamily Accipitrinae, the "true" hawks, of family Accipitridae. It is endemic to Brazil.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claram ...
.
Capuchin monkeys
The capuchin monkeys () are New World monkeys of the subfamily Cebinae. They are readily identified as the "organ grinder" monkey, and have been used in many movies and television shows. The range of capuchin monkeys includes some tropical forest ...
and
tufted-eared marmosets are also frequently seen in the Botanical Gardens.
Features of interest include an old gunpowder factory, the
Victoria lilies in the Lago Frei Leandro pond, the Japanese Garden, and many sculptures and fountains.
Gallery
File:Bertichem 1856 jardim botanico rio janeiro.jpg, The Imperial Botanical Garden in 1856
File:Botanical garden rio bell.jpg, William Bell's stereograph taken on the 1882 transit of Venus
frameless, upright=0.5
A transit of Venus across the Sun takes place when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and a superior planet, becoming visible against (and hence obscuring a small portion of) the solar disk. During a trans ...
expedition.
File:Albert Einstein em visita ao Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro.jpg, Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...
(center) visiting the Botanical Garden in May 1925.
File:RioBotanicalGarden-VisitorCentre1.jpg, Visitor centre
File:Imperial palm trees.JPG, A palm tree avenue (landscape allée
In landscaping, an avenue (from the French), alameda (from the Portuguese and Spanish), or allée (from the French), is traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees or large shrubs running along each side, which is used, as its L ...
) of '' Roystonea oleracea'' palms.
File:Chafariz emoldurado.jpg, Fountain of the Muses
File:ChristBotanicalView.JPG, View of the Christ the Redeemer statue from the garden during the winter.
File:Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro Vitória-Régia I.jpg, Victoria lilies
File:JBRJ Jardim Sensorial 01.jpg, Sensory Garden
File:JBRJ Cactário.jpg, Cactus
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
garden
File:JBRJ Vista do Corcovado.jpg, Corcovado Mountain
Corcovado (korcovádo) which means "hunchback" in Portuguese, is a mountain in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a 710-metre (2,329 ft) granite peak located in the Tijuca Forest, a national park.
Corcovado hill lies just west of the c ...
, with ''Christ the Redeemer'' at the top, as seen from the Botanical Garden.
File:JBRJ Cômoro Frei Leandro 02.jpg, Friar Leandro do Sacramento Memorial
File:BotanicalGarden-FreiLeandro.jpg, Bust of Friar Leandro do Sacramento at the memorial. Sacramento was the first director of the Botanical Garden.
File:JBRJ Busto de Dom João VI.jpg, Bust of King John VI, the founder of the Botanical Garden
File:JBRJ Gruta Karl Glasl.jpg, Karl Glasl cave
File:Jardim Botânico - Lago do Pescador.jpg, Amazon Region - Fisherman's Lake
File:JBRJ Relógio de Sol Equatorial.jpg, Equatorial Sundial
File:JBRJ Ponte do Jardim Japonês.jpg, Japanese garden
File:JBRJ Prédio 01.jpg, Administrative building
File:JBRJ - Caminhos 02.jpg, Paths
File:Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro.jpg, Garden path and park bench.
File:JBRJ - Bromeliário 02.jpg, Bromeliads
The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ...
File:Xochipilli Statue on Brasil.JPG, Replica of a statue of Xochipilli, the Aztec god of flowers
File:Botanical_Garden_Meliponario-Rio_de_Janeiro.jpg, Meliponário
Notes
External links
Research Institute of Rio de Janeiro Botanical Gardens (in Portuguese)
{{authority control
Parks in Rio de Janeiro (city)
Botanical gardens in Brazil
Botanical research institutes
Research institutes in Brazil