Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne
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Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria are
botanic 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 ...
s across two sites–
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
and Cranbourne. Melbourne Gardens was founded in 1846 when land was reserved on the south side of the Yarra River for a new botanic garden. It extends across that slope to the river with trees, garden beds, lakes and lawns. It displays almost 50,000 individual plants representing 8,500 different species. These are displayed in 30 living plant collections. Cranbourne Gardens was established in 1970 when land was acquired by the Gardens on Melbourne's south-eastern urban fringe for the purpose of establishing a garden dedicated to Australian plants. A generally wild site that is significant for biodiversity conservation, it opened to the public in 1989. On the site, visitors can explore native bushland, heathlands, wetlands and woodlands. One of the features of Cranbourne is the Australian Garden, which celebrates Australian landscapes and flora through the display of approximately 170,000 plants from 1,700 plant varieties. It was completed in 2012. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria is home to the State Botanical Collection, which is housed in the
National Herbarium of Victoria The National Herbarium of Victoria ( Index Herbariorum code: MEL) is one of Australia's earliest herbaria and the oldest scientific institution in Victoria. Its 1.5 million specimens of preserved plants, fungi and algae—collectively known a ...
. The collection, which includes 1.5 million preserved plants, algae and fungi, represents the largest herbarium collection in Australia and wider
Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...
.Thiers, B. (2020 - continuously updated). National Herbarium of Victoria Collections Summary. ''Index Herbariorum. A global directory of public herbaria and associated staff. New York Botanical Garden’s Virtual Herbarium.'' Available from
MEL Collections Summary
(accessed 21 August 2020)
It also includes Australia's most comprehensive botanical library.


Governance and history

The gardens are governed under the ''Royal Botanic Gardens Act 1991'' by the Royal Botanic Gardens Board, who are responsible to the Minister for Environment. In 1846
Charles La Trobe Charles la Trobe, CB (20 March 18014 December 1875), commonly Latrobe, was appointed in 1839 superintendent of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales and, after the establishment in 1851 of the colony of Victoria (now a state of Australi ...
selected the site for the Royal Botanic Gardens from
marshland A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...
and
swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
. In 1857 the first director was
Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...
, who created the
National Herbarium of Victoria The National Herbarium of Victoria ( Index Herbariorum code: MEL) is one of Australia's earliest herbaria and the oldest scientific institution in Victoria. Its 1.5 million specimens of preserved plants, fungi and algae—collectively known a ...
and brought in many plants. In 1873
William Guilfoyle William Robert Guilfoyle (8 December 1840 – 25 June 1912) was an English Landscape architecture, landscape gardener and botany, botanist in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, acknowledged as the architect of the Royal Botanic Gardens, ...
became Director and changed the style of the Gardens to something more like the picturesque gardens that were around at that time. He added tropical and temperate plants. In 1877 Sir
Edmund Barton Sir Edmund "Toby" Barton, (18 January 18497 January 1920) was an Australian politician and judge who served as the first prime minister of Australia from 1901 to 1903, holding office as the leader of the Protectionist Party. He resigned to ...
, Australia's first Prime Minister and Jane Ross were married at the Royal Botanic Gardens. In 1924 a shooting massacre occurred at the Gardens resulting in the death of four people. In June 2015 the Gardens brought together the elements of the organisation under the name Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, incorporating Melbourne Gardens, Cranbourne Gardens, the National Herbarium of Victoria and the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology (ARCUE)


Horticulture

Living collections at the Botanic Gardens include the Australian Forest Walk, California Garden, Cacti and Succulents, Camellia Collection, Cycad Collection, Eucalypts, Fern Gully, Grey Garden, Herb Garden, Long Island, New Caledonia Collection, New Zealand Collection, Oak Lawn, Perennial Border, Roses, Southern Africa Collection, Southern China Collection, Tropical Display-Glasshouse, Viburnum Collection and Water Conservation Garden.


Ecology

The gardens include a mixture of native and non-native vegetation which invariably hosts a diverse range of both native and non-native fauna. The gardens host over 10,000 floral species, the majority being non-native species. The gardens were the origin from which many introduced species spread throughout south-eastern Australia as seeds were traded between early European botanists in the mid-19th century, studying the Australian flora.


Native vegetation

From the establishment of the gardens in 1846, much of the native vegetation was removed as botanists such as Baron Von Mueller planted a range of species from around the world. While initially much of the native wetlands and swamplands in the gardens were left, around the turn of the 20th century these were re-landscaped to create the Ornamental Lake. Despite this, however, there are some large eucalypts remaining including the prominent ''Separation Tree'', a 300-year-old
River Red Gum ''Eucalyptus camaldulensis'', commonly known as the river red gum, is a tree that is endemic to Australia. It has smooth white or cream-coloured bark, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven or nine, white flowers an ...
, under which
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
was declared a separate colony. In August 2010 the
Separation Tree The rrrr Separation tree was a heritage listed '' Eucalyptus camaldulensis'' tree, commonly known as a red river gum, located in the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria in Melbourne in Victoria. Found on the Tennyson Lawn the tree was one of two orig ...
was attacked by vandalsPolice probe 'sickening' attack on historic tree - ABC News
accessed 2 September 2010
and then attacked again in 2013, by 2015 it was dead and removal of the canopy and branches commenced. The
Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria at Cranbourne Gardens, is a division of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (the second division being the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, located in the centre of Melbourne). It is located in the suburb of ...
focus solely on Australian native plants.


Non-native traditional gardens

The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne were initially intended to be a horticultural exhibition for the public to enjoy, many seeds were traded between early European botanists such as Arthur and Von Mueller, who planted non-native species. The
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
and her grandfather,
Dame Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic dramatic coloratura soprano (three octaves). She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th centur ...
and
Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (;  – 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist and composer who became a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the new nation's Prime Minister and foreign minister during which he signed the Treaty of Versail ...
contributed plantings on occasions throughout the history of the gardens.


Plant science

Since its earliest days, the Royal Botanic Gardens is involved in plant research and identification. This is done primarily through the
National Herbarium of Victoria The National Herbarium of Victoria ( Index Herbariorum code: MEL) is one of Australia's earliest herbaria and the oldest scientific institution in Victoria. Its 1.5 million specimens of preserved plants, fungi and algae—collectively known a ...
, which is based at the Gardens. The Herbarium is also home to the State Botanical Collection, which includes over 1.5 million dried plant specimens, and an extensive collection of books, journals and artworks. Research findings are published in the journal ''Muelleria'', which is a scientific representation of the work done in the Gardens in any one year. More recently, the Australian Research Centre for
Urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...
Ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
has been established to look at plants that grow in urban environments specifically.


The Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden

The 5,000 square metres ''
Ian Potter Sir William Ian Potter (25 August 190224 October 1994), known as Ian Potter, was an Australian stockbroker, businessman and philanthropist. Potter was knighted in 1962. The Ian Potter Foundation, which he established in 1964, has made grants t ...
Foundation Children's Garden'' is designed as a discovery area for children of all ages and abilities. The Ian Potter Children's Garden is based in
South Yarra South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a popul ...
, off the main site. This area is closed for two months of the year from the end of the Victorian July school holidays for rest and maintenance.


Gallery

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Eastern Lawn 2018.jpg, Eastern Lawn Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Fern Gully 2017.jpg, Fern Gully Image:Melb botanical gardens.jpg, A section of the gardens in winter Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Oak Lawn 2017.jpg, Oak Lawn Image:BGM Herb Garden.jpg, The Herb Garden Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne The Terrace 2017.jpg, The Terrace Restaurant Image:Royal Botanic Gardens (Entrance Gate).jpg, The main entrance gate Image:Plan_of_the_Government_House_reserve_Botanic_Garden_and_its_Domain_indicating_the_principal_plantations%2C_Ernst_Bernhard_Heyne%2C_1825_-_1881.jpg , Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne


References


External links


RBG website
{{coord, 37.83340, S, 144.98033, E, source:placeopedia, display=title Botanical gardens in Victoria (Australia) Parks in Melbourne Tourist attractions in Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games venues 1846 establishments in Australia Environment of Victoria (Australia) Landmarks in Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Buildings and structures in the City of Melbourne (LGA)