Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden is a 500 acres (2 km²) 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...

 and tourist attraction at kilometer 163 on Sukhumvit Road in Chonburi Province

Chonburi Province

Chonburi is a province of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Chachoengsao, Chanthaburi and Rayong. To the west is the Gulf of Thailand. The eastern seaboard is heavily industrialized and underpinned by shipping, transportation, tourism, and manufacturing industries, and second to only Bangkok...

, Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

. Its also a major scientific center dedicated to cycads, with its own Cycad Gene Bank.

History

Pisit and Nongnooch Tansacha purchased the 600 acres (2.4 km²) plot of land in 1954 with the intentions of developing the land as a fruit plantation. However, the owners instead decided to plant tropical flowers and plants as a wildlife conservation

Wildlife conservation

Wildlife conservation is the preservation, protection, or restoration of wildlife and their environment, especially in relation to endangered and vulnerable species. All living non-domesticated animals, even if bred, hatched or born in captivity, are considered wild animals. Wildlife represents all...

 project. The garden opened to the public in 1980, and management was transferred to Pisit and Nongnooch's son Kampon Tansacha in 2001. The garden currently fills 500 out of the 600 acres (2.4 km²).

Garden divisions

• French Garden
• European Garden
• Stonehenge Garden
• Cactus & Suculent Garden
• Variegated Plants
• Ant Tower
• Butterfly Hill
• Orchid & Bromeliad Display Garden
• Flower valley

Cactus

• Echinocactus grusonii
  Echinocactus grusonii
  Echinocactus grusonii is a well known species of cactus native to central Mexico from San Luis Potosi to Hidalgo. Described by Heinrich Hildmann in 1891, it is popularly known as the Golden Barrel Cactus, Golden Ball or, amusingly, Mother-in-Law's Cushion...
  
   (Mexican golden barrel cactus)
• Echinopsis
  Echinopsis
  Echinopsis is a large genus of cacti native to South America, sometimes known as hedgehog cacti, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus. One small species, E. chamaecereus, is known as the peanut cactus. The 128 species range from large and treelike types to small globose cacti...
  
  
• Lobivia

Cycads

The garden focus on Southeast Asian, Tropical American and Central Africa species of Cycads, but a collection of almost every species can also been seen here.
In connection with Conservation agencies the gardens cycad collections serves as an important ex situ conservation site for this endangered and ancient plant group.
On-going and continuing research at the garden concerning taxonomy and horticultural use has increased the knowledge about this plant group world wide.

The Cycad genebank is managed by Mr. Anders J.Lindstrom, a world renowned expert in cycads.

Other notable plant groups

• Bougainvillea
  Bougainvillea
  Bougainvillea is a genus of flowering plants native to South America from Brazil west to Peru and south to southern Argentina . Different authors accept between four and 18 species in the genus...
  
  
• Hoya
  Hoya
  Hoya is a genus of 200-300 species of tropical plants in the family Apocynaceae , fomerly considered to be in the Asclepiadaceae...
  
  
• Bromeliads
• Marantaceae
  Marantaceae
  The Marantaceae or arrowroot family is a family of flowering plants known for its large starchy rhizomes. It is sometimes called the prayer-plant family...
  
  
• Passiflora
• Plumeria
  Plumeria
  Plumeria is a genus of flowering plants of the family that includes Dogbane: the Apocynaceae. It contains 7-8 species of mainly deciduous shrubs and small trees...
  
  
• New Caledonian Plants

Activities

In addition to examining the wildlife, tourists experience religious ceremonies, martial arts

Martial arts

Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

 demonstrations, massages, and elephant

Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...

shows. There are also two restaurants, a small zoo and a hotel with a swimming pool and Thai style rental houses on the grounds.

External links

• Nong Nooch Tropical Garden