Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden
Encyclopedia
The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden or Jardim Botânico is located at the Jardim Botânico district in the "Zona Sul
Zona Sul
Zona Sul is an area of the city of Rio de Janeiro located between the Tijuca Massif, the Atlantic Ocean and Guanabara Bay. It is mainly made up of neighbourhoods that are located on the Atlantic coastline, as São Conrado, Vidigal, Leblon, Ipanema, Copacabana, and Leme.There are also neighbourhoods...

" (South Zone) of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

.

One of the most beautiful and best preserved green areas in the city, the Botanical Garden is an example of the diversity of Brazilian and foreign flora. There are around 6,500 species (some endangered) distributed throughout an area of 54 hectares. The air is free and there are numerous greenhouses.

The Garden also houses monuments of historical, artistic and archaeological significance. There is an important research center which includes the most complete library in the country, specializing in botany with over 32,000 volumes.

It was founded in 1808 by John VI of Portugal
John VI of Portugal
John VI John VI John VI (full name: João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos Rafael; (13 May 1767 – 10 March 1826) was King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (later changed to just King of Portugal and the Algarves, after Brazil was recognized...

. Originally intended for the acclimatisation of spices like nutmeg
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...

, pepper
Black pepper
Black 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 cinnamon
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...

 imported from the West Indies, the Garden was opened to the public in 1822, and is now open during daylight hours every day except December 25th and the 1st of January.

The 140-hectare park lies at the foot of the Corcovado Mountain, far below the right arm of the statue of Christ the Redeemer
Christ the Redeemer (statue)
Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world and the 5th largest statue of Jesus in the world. It is tall, including its pedestal, and wide. It weighs 635 tonnes , and is located at the peak of the Corcovado...

 and contains more than 6,000 different species of tropical and subtropical plants and trees, including 900 varieties of palm trees. A 750 m line of 134 palms forms the Avenue of Royal Palms leading from the entrance into the gardens. These palms all descended from a single tree, the Palma Mater, long since destroyed by lightning. Only about 40% of the park is cultivated, the remainder being Atlantic Forest rising up the slopes of Corcovado
Corcovado
Corcovado, meaning "hunchback" in Portuguese, is a mountain in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The granite peak is located in the Tijuca Forest, a national park. It is sometimes confused with nearby Sugarloaf Mountain...

. The park is protected by the Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional and was designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 in 1992.

The Botanical Garden has an important research institute, which develops a wide range of botanical studies in Brazil. The institute has taxonomists who specialize in the identification and conservation of the neotropical flora. The School of Tropical Botany http://translate.google.com.br/translate?prev=hp&hl=pt-BR&js=y&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jbrj.gov.br%2Fenbt%2Fposgraduacao%2F&sl=pt&tl=en&history_state0= has an international reputation for its scientific production.

The gardens house collections that include bromeliads
Bromeliaceae
Bromeliaceae is a family of monocot flowering plants of around 3,170 species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana...

, orchids
Orchidaceae
The Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...

, carnivorous plants, and cacti
Cactus
A 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...

. These include Brazil’s largest botanical library and collections of dried fruits, rare Brazilian plants, and many photographs. The painted cast-iron Fountain of the Muses was made in Derby, UK, and until 1895 was sited at Henrique Lage's villa at Largo da Lapa, as part of the landscaping by the English painter John Tydall.

The park contains 140 species of birds, many of which have become accustomed to humans and are consequently much easier to observe than in the wild. These include the Channel-billed Toucan
Channel-billed Toucan
The Channel-billed Toucan is a near-passerine bird which breeds in Trinidad and in tropical South America as far south as southern Brazil and central Bolivia.-Taxonomy:...

, Dusky-legged Guan
Dusky-legged Guan
The Dusky-legged Guan is a species of bird in the Cracidae family, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows.It is found in southernmost Brazil, northern Uruguay, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina; a narrow disjunct range is in northern Argentina extending into south-central Bolivia.Its natural...

 and Slaty-breasted Rail
Slaty-breasted Rail
The Slaty-breasted Rail is a species of rail found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia.Breeding has been recorded from July in the foothills of the Himalayas from Dehradun in the west....

. Howler monkeys
Southern Brown Howler
The Southern brown howler is a monkey subspecies of brown howler native to coastal Argentina and Brazil....

 and Tufted-eared Marmosets
White-headed Marmoset
The white-headed marmoset , also known as the tufted-ear marmoset or Geoffrey's marmoset, is a marmoset endemic to Brazil....

 are also frequently seen in the Botanical Gardens.

Features of interest include an old gunpowder factory, the Victoria Lilies
Victoria (waterlily)
Victoria is a genus of water lilies, in the plant family Nymphaeaceae, with very large green leaves that float on the water's surface. Victoria amazonica has a leaf that is up to 3 m in diameter, on a stalk 7–8 m in length...

in the Lago Frei Leandro pond, the Japanese Garden, and many sculptures and fountains.

External links

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