The San Juan Botanical Garden, officially known as the

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 ...

of the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...

, is located in the Caribbean city of San Juan, capital of

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. This lush “urban garden” of

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

and exotic

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

serves as a laboratory for the study, conservation and enrichment of plants, trees, flowers, grasses and many other plants. Seventy-five acres are landscaped and open to the general public as well as researchers. The entrance is located off the south side of the intersection of Highway 1 and Road 847 in

Río Piedras Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

. The “Bosque Urbano del Nuevo Milenio” ( Nuevo Milenio State Forest), a project for the conservation and growth of the

urban forest An urban forest is a forest, or a collection of trees, that grow within a city, town or a suburb. In a wider sense, it may include any kind of woody plant vegetation growing in and around human settlements. As opposed to a forest park, whose ec ...

, is on the eastern side of the Botanical Garden.

Background

The botanical garden, proposed in 1959, was endorsed by the

Council of Higher Education of Puerto Rico ''Their mission'' is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access to all the students. The Council of Education of Puerto Rico es, Consejo de Educació ...

on 12 September 1969. On the initiative of Mr. Arturo Roque and supported by the President of the University, Dr. Jaime Benítez, the Botanical Garden was inaugurated on March 10, 1971. Administratively, it functions as a part of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus. Its international identification code is UPR. Fred Schaffner is the director. The Garden was partially opened to the public from 1971 until 1989. However, in the wake of Hurricane Hugo, the garden was closed for reconstruction until it could reopen for visitors in 1991. The garden's botanical collections, lakes, falls and shelters are well connected by paths, roads and walkways, allowing the visitor to know and better appreciate the value of native and tropical flora. A Master Plan designated as the San Juan Ecological Corridor is underway which includes the development of public spaces, display exhibits, linkages for the new

Tren Urbano The ''Tren Urbano'' (English: Urban Train) is a fully-automated rapid transit system that serves the municipalities of San Juan, Guaynabo, and Bayamón, in Puerto Rico. The Tren Urbano consists of 16 stations operating on of track along a ...

with the

, the Nuevo Milenio State Forest, the Río Piedras River riparian zones, and its floodplain restoration.

Collections

The Botanic Garden exhibits several ''thematic collections'' comprising tropical and subtropical plants. It also exhibits a collection of ''modern sculptures'' by artists from Puerto Rico and Latin America. *''Garden of Heliconias''. Brightly colored

Heliconia ''Heliconia'', derived from the Greek word (), is a genus of flowering plants in the monotypic family Heliconiaceae. Most of the ca 194 known species are native to the tropical Americas, but a few are indigenous to certain islands of the we ...

s native to tropical

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

. There is also a small group of Heliconias from Asia. *''Bamboo Chapel''. A small chapel in a feathery

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

forest. *''Orchid Garden''. A grand selection of

orchid 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 flowerin ...

species with a special collection of

Cattleya ''Cattleya'' () is a genus of orchids from Costa Rica south to Argentina. The genus is abbreviated C in trade journals. Description Epiphytic or terrestrial orchids with cylindrical rhizome from which the fleshy noodle-like roots grow. Ps ...

. *''Monet's Garden''. An adaptation of Monet's own aquatic garden in

Giverny Giverny () is a commune in the northern French department of Eure.Commune de Giverny (27285) ...

with its

water lilies ''Water Lilies'' (or ''Nymphéas'', ) is a series of approximately 250 oil paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet (1840–1926). The paintings depict his flower garden at his home in Giverny, and were the main focus of his artisti ...

to the tropical milieu. *''Palmetum''. Gathers over 125 species of palms. *''Aquatic Garden''. Collection includes

papyrus Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, '' Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'') can also refer to a ...

and red sealing wax palms. *''Taíno Garden''. An arboretum with a collection of species of trees found locally that were useful in the daily life of the Taíno Indians. *''The Herbarium''. A collection of over 36,000 specimens available for study and research by University of Puerto Rico students and researchers from other institutions in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and other parts of the world. The new herbarium's facilities are being finished. The Garden comprises a living laboratory for informal instruction of the community in all aspects of the native flora and the other plants which are cultivated there.

Endangered native species

The endemic plants of Puerto Rico, including some which are threatened in the wild or in danger of extinction, are found in the northern part of the Garden. Here are the plants that the Puerto Rican botanist

Agustín Stahl Dr. Agustín Stahl (January 21, 1842 – July 12, 1917) was a Puerto Rican medical doctor and scientist with diverse interests in the fields of ethnology, botany, and zoology. He advocated Puerto Rico's independence from Spain. Early years ...

identified: * ''Argythamnia stahlii'' (Urb.) * ''Senna pendula var. stahlii'' (Urb.) Irwin & Barneby * ''Eugenia stahlii'' ( Kiaersk.) Krug & (Urb.) * ''Lyonia stahlii'' (Urb.) * ''Ternstroemia stahlii'' (Krug & Urb.) The genus ''Stahlia'' is represented by a single species, ''Stahlia monosperma'' (Tul.) (Urb.), found in the wild only in Puerto Rico and the eastern

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

. This species, listed as endangered, is known in Puerto Rico under the name of '' cóbana negra''.

Affiliation

The San Juan Botanical Garden is an institutional member of the following professional organizations:
American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta (APGA)

Center for Plant Conservation

BGCI – Botanic Gardens Conservation International

References

Bibliography

*James D. Ackerman and Maria Del Castillo, ''The Orchids of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands / Las Orquideas de Puerto Rico y Las Islas Virgenes'' – Text: English, Spanish – Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico (1992) -

External links

Jardín Botánico, Universidad de Puerto Rico. The New York Botanical Garden
*Frances Worth Horne�
Archives and Manuscript Collections
{{University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez Botanical gardens in Puerto Rico Río Piedras, Puerto Rico University of Puerto Rico University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus 1971 establishments in Puerto Rico Protected areas established in 1971 Tourist attractions in San Juan, Puerto Rico