Hortus Botanicus Leiden

The Botanical garden of the University of Leyde ( Hortus Botanicus Leiden ) is oldest Botanical garden Netherlands and one of oldest in the world. It is located in the south-western part of the historical center of the city, between the building of the Academy and the Observatoire of Leyde.

History

In 1587, the young person University of Leyde request to the mayor of Leyde the permission to establish a Botanical garden behind the building of Acadamie, to profit with the students in Medicine. The permission was obtained in 1590, just for the nomination of the famous botanist Carolus Clusius (1526-1609), who arrived at Leyde in 1593. Knowledge, the reputation and the international contacts of Clausius enabled him to set up a very large collection of plants. Clausius also insisted near the Dutch Compagnie of the Eastern Indies ( Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie , VOC) to collect dried alive plants and specimens. The original garden set up by Clausius was small (approximately 35-40 meters), but contained more than 1000 different plants.

The collection of the tropical plants (coming from the the Indies) and subtropical (coming from the Colony of the Cape) was continued under the successors of Clausius. Hermann Boerhaave (1668-1738, director of 1709 with 1730) in particular contributed largely to famous of the garden thanks to its efforts to collect news plants and specimens, and thanks to its publications, as a findable catalog of the plants to the garden.

Another major contribution to the collection was made by Philipp Franz von Siebold, a German Médecin , which was employed by VOC with Deshima (Japan) of 1823 until its expulsion of the Japan in 1829. During this period, it collected many plants alive or dried through all the country (like also of the animal , the ethnographic objects, the charts, etc) and sent them to Leyde.

The first greenhouse appears with the Garden in second half of the 17th century century, and monumental the Orangerie was built between 1740 and 1744. The garden was gradually wide until in 1817. In 1857, a part was used for the construction of new the Observatoire of Leyde.

Collection

From a historical point of view, the old man Laburnum ( Laburnum anagyroides ), planted in 1601, the Tulipier ( Liriodendron will tulipifera ) in 1682 and the Ginkgo ( Ginkgo biloba ) of 1785 is most often mentioned.

In the Orangery recently renovated and the new Wintergarden, one finds tropical Victoria amazonica and other plants, as well as a broad collection of subtropical plants. The park itself is a true oasis in the middle of the old city, having many trees and plants.

A Japanese garden in the honor of Von Siebold opened its doors in 1990.

Close Jardin Clusius ( Clusiustuin ) is a re-creation by Lourens Baath Becking (of 1931, renovated in 1990) of the original garden of Clausius, based on the list of plants dated from the end of the 16th century century (1594).

From a scientific point of view, the Botanical garden of the Université of Leyde is known for its Asian collections of Araceae (in particular Amorphophallus titanum ), of Hoya , Dischidia , Nepenthes , Asian orchises and ferns.

External bond

Internet site of the Botanical garden of Leyde

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