Botanischer Garten Schellerhau
Encyclopedia
The Botanischer Garten Schellerhau (1.4 hectares) is a botanical garden
located near the hamlet of Schellerhau at Hauptstrasse 41, Altenberg
, Saxony
, Germany
. It is open daily in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged.
The garden was established in 1906 by Gustav Adolf Poscharsky, inspector of the Royal Botanical Garden of Dresden, as his private garden. As he subsequently wrote, "As far as I know it was the first attempt with such a garden in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains). I chose the plateau of Schellerhau at 750 m elevation." There he planted species from the mountains of Asia
, North America
, and the Caucasus
, and by 1908 was growing 93 trees, including 19 apple
varieties, 9 pear
s, 7 plum
s, 2 rose
varieties, many shrub
s, and 401 herbaceous
species
.
In 1916 the garden was transferred to the Forstbotanischer Garten Tharandt
in what was to become a complex tangle of ownerships that persists to this day, and in 1920 became associated with the Botanischer Garten der Technischen Universität Dresden
as an alpine garden. In 1928 it was enlarged by two additional purchases of 2240 m² and 800 m², and subsequently began to focus upon the flora of the Erzgebirge, but fell into disuse during World War II
. At war's end, of the 1026 plants species recorded in the 1930s, only 33 trees and 158 shrubs could be identified. In 1949 it was expropriated and restored with great industry by teacher and botanist Fritz Stopp, and by 1951 cultivated more than 1000 species
, gradually growing to approximately 2000 species with good collections of mushroom
s, lichen
s, and moss
es. East German state funding was eliminated in 1991, with garden rehabilitation continuing through the 1990s in the reunited Germany
.
Today the garden cultivates about 1000 species
, with a focus on endangered local species. It also collects North America
n and Asia
n species, particularly of the high mountains. Collections include high altitude plants such as alder
s, alpine gentian
and grass
, bell flowers, carnations, heather
, dwarf pine
s, primrose
s, rhododendron
s, and saxifrage
.
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...
located near the hamlet of Schellerhau at Hauptstrasse 41, Altenberg
Altenberg, Germany
Altenberg is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, close to the border with the Czech Republic, 15 km northwest of Teplice, and 32 km south of Dresden....
, Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, 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...
. It is open daily in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged.
The garden was established in 1906 by Gustav Adolf Poscharsky, inspector of the Royal Botanical Garden of Dresden, as his private garden. As he subsequently wrote, "As far as I know it was the first attempt with such a garden in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains). I chose the plateau of Schellerhau at 750 m elevation." There he planted species from the mountains of Asia
Asia
Asia 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...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, and by 1908 was growing 93 trees, including 19 apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
varieties, 9 pear
Pear
The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....
s, 7 plum
Plum
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...
s, 2 rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
varieties, many shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s, and 401 herbaceous
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
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 1916 the garden was transferred to the Forstbotanischer Garten Tharandt
Forstbotanischer Garten Tharandt
The Forstbotanischer Garten Tharandt , also known as the Sächsisches Landesarboretum, is an arboretum maintained by the Dresden University of Technology...
in what was to become a complex tangle of ownerships that persists to this day, and in 1920 became associated with the Botanischer Garten der Technischen Universität Dresden
Botanischer Garten der Technischen Universität Dresden
The Botanischer Garten der Technischen Universität Dresden , also known as the Botanischer Garten Dresden or Dresden Botanical Garden, is a botanical garden maintained by the Dresden University of Technology. It is located in the north-west section of the Großer Garten at Stübelallee 2, Dresden,...
as an alpine garden. In 1928 it was enlarged by two additional purchases of 2240 m² and 800 m², and subsequently began to focus upon the flora of the Erzgebirge, but fell into disuse during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. At war's end, of the 1026 plants species recorded in the 1930s, only 33 trees and 158 shrubs could be identified. In 1949 it was expropriated and restored with great industry by teacher and botanist Fritz Stopp, and by 1951 cultivated more than 1000 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...
, gradually growing to approximately 2000 species with good collections of mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s, lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
s, and moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
es. East German state funding was eliminated in 1991, with garden rehabilitation continuing through the 1990s in the reunited 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...
.
Today the garden cultivates about 1000 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...
, with a focus on endangered local species. It also collects North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n and Asia
Asia
Asia 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 species, particularly of the high mountains. Collections include high altitude plants such as alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
s, alpine gentian
Gentian
Gentiana is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Gentian family , tribe Gentianeae and monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With about 400 species, it is considered a large genus.-Habitat:...
and 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 ...
, bell flowers, carnations, heather
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
, dwarf pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
s, primrose
Primrose
-Botany:* Primulaceae, a family of flowering plants* Primula vulgaris, commonly known as the Primrose * Oenothera, commonly known as Evening Primrose, a plant genus...
s, rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
s, and saxifrage
Saxifrage
Saxifraga is the largest genus in the family Saxifragaceae, containing about 440 species of Holarctic perennial plants, known as saxifrages. The Latin word saxifraga means literally "stone-breaker", from Latin + ...
.