Anderson Park is a 20 hectare
arboretum
An arboretum (: arboreta) is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees and shrubs of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, many modern arbor ...
in the suburb of
Pimlico
Pimlico () is a district in Central London, in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by Lon ...
in
Townsville, Queensland.
The Gardens officially Anderson Botanic Gardens
It contains many fine examples of tropical trees in particular those of the dry tropics of the world and northern
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
trees, Palms
Arecaceae
The Arecaceae () is a family (biology), family of perennial plant, perennial, flowering plants in the Monocotyledon, monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbing palm, climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly k ...
and one of the world's largest Pandan
andanuscollection.
The Plant Collection
* ''Pandanus'' - includes most of the
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
pandanus species as well as others from
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
,
South-East Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Australian mainland, which is part of Oceania. Southeast Asia i ...
, the western
Pacific Islands
The Pacific islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of several ...
and
Madagascar
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
.
* ''Cape York Section'' - This area features palms,
ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
s, Australian pandanus and ornamental trees from Far North Queensland focusing on those originating from the Cape York Peninsula.
* ''Palms'' - highlights include the
Bismarckia nobilis;
Orbignya cohune,
Hyphaene
''Hyphaene'' is a genus of palms native to Africa, Madagascar, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay ...
and
Latania species.
* ''Conservatory'' - open only by appointment. It houses a collection of tropical plants including bromeliads, gingers, aroids, nepenthes (Pitcher plants), palms and cycads.
* ''Tropical Fruit Orchard'' - includes mango, citrus,
lychee,
black sapote,
papaw,
breadfruit
Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family ( Moraceae) believed to have been selectively bred in Polynesia from the breadnut ('' Artocarpus camansi''). Breadfruit was spread into ...
,
miracle fruit,
dates,
cashews,
jackfruit
The jackfruit or ''nangka'' (''Artocarpus heterophyllus'') is a species of tree in the Common fig, fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae).
The jackfruit is the largest tree fruit, reaching as much as in weight, in length, and in d ...
, palm hearts,
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, biscuits, b ...
,
cloves,
coffee
Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
, tea,
turmeric
Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high ...
and
ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
.
History
Part of the land was purchased in 1929 from the Water and Electricity Supply Department, although much of this is now taken up by the
Mundingburra State School and the Townsville Jubilee Bowls Club. The Park was named in 1932 in appreciation of the work of William Anderson (1845 - 1935),
City of Townsville
The City of Townsville is a local government area (LGA) located in North Queensland, Australia. It encompasses the city of Townsville, together with the surrounding rural areas. To the south are the communities of Alligator Creek, Woodstock a ...
's first Curator of Parks (1878 - 1934). In the same year the earliest recorded plantings occurred - these
Raintree,
Eucalyptus
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...
and
Melaleuca
''Melaleuca'' () is a genus of nearly 300 species of plants in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, commonly known as paperbarks, honey-myrtles, bottlebrushes or tea-trees (although the last name is also applied to species of '' Leptospermum''). They ...
trees now dominate the landscape. Further land was added in 1956 and 1963 through land acquisitions. The present design was prepared in 1962 by Alan Wilson, a Landscape Architect and Superintendent of Parks (1959 – 1969).
See also
There are two other botanical gardens in Townsville:
*
Queens Gardens, Townsville
*
The Palmetum, Townsville
References
External links
Townsville Parks Service: Anderson Park page
Townsville
Botanical gardens in Queensland
Arboreta in Australia
1932 establishments in Australia
Gardens in Queensland
{{NorthQueensland-geo-stub