Botanische Garten der Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Encyclopedia
The Botanische Garten der Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg (4.5 hectares) is an arboretum
and botanical garden
maintained by the University of Halle-Wittenberg
. It is located at Am Kirchtor 3 in the city of Halle
, Saxony-Anhalt
, Germany
, and open daily in the warmer months. An admission fee is charged.
The garden's origins can be traced back to 1698 when Frederick III, Prince Elector of Brandenburg
donated parts of his hortus medicus to the university in Halle. By 1749 the garden contained 191 plants species
. In 1787 it was enlarged to its present size by Karl Christoph von Hoffmann (1735-1801), university chancellor, in response to activities of garden directors Johann Reinhold Forster
(1729-1798), who participated in Captain James Cook
's second world expedition, and Philipp Jung Hans Caspar (1736-1798). Towards the end of the 18th century many greenhouse
s were constructed, and by 1825 the garden contained some 7,000 species
. Its tropical greenhouse was built in 1872 with the Victoria greenhouse following in 1902. During the 20th century, additional modern green houses were built and old ones renovated, including the 1994 reconstruction of the Victoria greenhouse. The garden grounds also contain the former university observatory, designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans
(1732-1808).
Today the garden contains about 12,000 species
, including systematic collections of orchids, bromeliads, carnivorous plant
s, grass
species (especially from the tribe Aveneae), Mammillaria
(Cactaceae), Echinodorus
(Alismataceae
), and Cryptocoryne
(Araceae
). It also contains an important collection of Central Asia
n plants, especially from Mongolia
, which is believed to be one of the largest such collections outside Russia
and Mongolia
, and preserves some rare and extinct plants with emphasis on the local region of Saxony-Anhalt
, including Artemisia rupestris, as well as exotics such as Carlina diae (Asteraceae
) from Crete
and Sophora toromiro from the Easter Islands.
The garden is organized into the following major areas:
The garden also contains a number of greenhouses (3,000 m² total area) including:
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
and botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The 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. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
maintained by the University of Halle-Wittenberg
University of Halle-Wittenberg
The Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg , also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg within Saxony-Anhalt, Germany...
. It is located at Am Kirchtor 3 in the city of Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
, Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and open daily in the warmer months. An admission fee is charged.
The garden's origins can be traced back to 1698 when Frederick III, Prince Elector of Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
donated parts of his hortus medicus to the university in Halle. By 1749 the garden contained 191 plants species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. In 1787 it was enlarged to its present size by Karl Christoph von Hoffmann (1735-1801), university chancellor, in response to activities of garden directors Johann Reinhold Forster
Johann Reinhold Forster
Johann Reinhold Forster was a German Lutheran pastor and naturalist of partial Scottish descent who made contributions to the early ornithology of Europe and North America...
(1729-1798), who participated in Captain James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
's second world expedition, and Philipp Jung Hans Caspar (1736-1798). Towards the end of the 18th century many greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
s were constructed, and by 1825 the garden contained some 7,000 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. Its tropical greenhouse was built in 1872 with the Victoria greenhouse following in 1902. During the 20th century, additional modern green houses were built and old ones renovated, including the 1994 reconstruction of the Victoria greenhouse. The garden grounds also contain the former university observatory, designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans
Carl Gotthard Langhans
Carl Gotthard Langhans was a Prussian builder and architect. His works are among the earliest buildings in the German classicism movement. His best-known work is the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.- Life :...
(1732-1808).
Today the garden contains about 12,000 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, including systematic collections of orchids, bromeliads, carnivorous plant
Carnivorous plant
Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants appear adapted to grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic...
s, grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
species (especially from the tribe Aveneae), Mammillaria
Mammillaria
The genus Mammillaria is one of the largest in the cactus family , with currently 171 known species and varieties recognized. Most of the mammillarias are native to Mexico, but some come from the southwest USA, the Caribbean, Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala and Honduras.The first was described by...
(Cactaceae), Echinodorus
Echinodorus
Echinodorus is a genus of plants in the family Alismataceae and distributed in the Western Hemisphere. Its scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek echius – rough husk, and doros – leathern bottle, alluding to ovaries, which in some species are armed with persistent styles,...
(Alismataceae
Alismataceae
The water-plantains are a family of flowering plants, comprising 11 genera and between 85-95 species. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the greatest number of species in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
), and Cryptocoryne
Cryptocoryne
Cryptocoryne is a genus of about 50-60 species of aquatic monocot plants from the family Araceae . The genus is naturally distributed in tropical regions of Asia and New Guinea....
(Araceae
Araceae
Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe or leaf-like bract. Also known as the Arum family, members are often colloquially...
). It also contains an important collection of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
n plants, especially from Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, which is believed to be one of the largest such collections outside Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, and preserves some rare and extinct plants with emphasis on the local region of Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
, including Artemisia rupestris, as well as exotics such as Carlina diae (Asteraceae
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
) from Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
and Sophora toromiro from the Easter Islands.
The garden is organized into the following major areas:
- Alpine garden with many high mountain plants surrounds a small plant bed with beach and sand dune plants.
- AmericanAmericasThe Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
plants.
- AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n plants, particularly BerberisBerberisBerberis , the barberries or pepperidge bushes, is a genus of about 450-500 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from 1-5 m tall with thorny shoots, native to the temperate and subtropical regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America. They are closely related to the genus...
and CotoneasterCotoneasterCotoneaster is a genus of woody plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to the Palaearctic region , with a strong concentration of diversity in the genus in the mountains of southwestern China and the Himalayas...
.
- ArboretumArboretumAn arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
, systematically arranged, with very old specimens of Acer campestre, Gymnocladus dioicus, Juglans nigra, Metasequoia glyptostroboidesMetasequoia glyptostroboidesMetasequoia glyptostroboides, the dawn redwood, is a fast-growing, critically endangered deciduous conifer tree, sole living species of the genus Metasequoia, and one of three species of conifers known as redwoods. It is native to the Sichuan-Hubei region of China...
, and Sophora japonica.
- SteppeSteppeIn physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
plants from the East Mediterranean region and Central AsiaCentral AsiaCentral Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
.
- Systematic garden, organized according to the "System der natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien" of A. Engler.
The garden also contains a number of greenhouses (3,000 m² total area) including:
- Arid greenhouse - cactiCactusA cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
and succulents from the Americas and Africa, with a smaller section dedicated to MadagascarMadagascarThe Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
.
- Evergreen plant greenhouse.
- OrangeryOrangeryAn orangery was a building in the grounds of fashionable residences from the 17th to the 19th centuries and given a classicising architectural form. The orangery was similar to a greenhouse or conservatory...
.
- Tropical greenhouse - lianaLianaA liana is any of various long-stemmed, woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy to get access to well-lit areas of the forest. Lianas are especially characteristic of tropical moist deciduous...
s, epiphyteEpiphyteAn epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
s and useful plants including bananaBananaBanana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
, coffeeCoffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, pepperBlack pepperBlack pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
, and vanillaVanillaVanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
.
- Victoria greenhouse - tropical aquatic plantAquatic plantAquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments. They are also referred to as hydrophytes or aquatic macrophytes. These plants require special adaptations for living submerged in water, or at the water's surface. Aquatic plants can only grow in water or in soil that is...
s including mangroveMangroveMangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
s and collections of EchinodorusEchinodorusEchinodorus is a genus of plants in the family Alismataceae and distributed in the Western Hemisphere. Its scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek echius – rough husk, and doros – leathern bottle, alluding to ovaries, which in some species are armed with persistent styles,...
and CryptocoryneCryptocoryneCryptocoryne is a genus of about 50-60 species of aquatic monocot plants from the family Araceae . The genus is naturally distributed in tropical regions of Asia and New Guinea....
.