The Orto Botanico dell'Università di Bologna, also known as the Orto Botanico di Bologna, is a botanical garden operated by the University of Bologna. It is located at Via Irnerio, 42, 40126 Bologna, Italy, and open daily except Mondays. Established in 1568, the garden is one of Europe's oldest, after those of

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

, Padua, and Florence. Although early records indicate a Bolognese medicinal herb garden dating to 1365, today's garden arose from the proposals of botanist Luca Ghini (1490-1556), who left to create the Orto botanico di Pisa, and became a reality under his successor Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605). Those first gardens were located in the Palazzo Pubblico, in a courtyard near today's Sala Borsa, but partially moved in 1587 to a larger site in Borghetto S. Giuliano (today's Porta S. Stefano), with an area of about 5000 m². By 1653 the garden's catalog listed approximately 1500 species. In 1740 the garden moved to Porta S. Stefano, followed in 1745 by the construction of a hybernaculum, where exotic plants were kept during the winter. Neoclassical greenhouses were added in 1765, to designs by

Francesco Tadolini Francesco Tadolini (1723 – August 31, 1805) was an Italian architect of the neoclassic period, active mainly in his native Bologna. Among his works are the facade of the Palazzo Malavasia (1760), the Palazzo Zagnoni, the facade and sacristy ...

, and still stand in Via San Giuliano. In 1803 the garden moved again to its current location. The garden suffered a period of severe neglect in the early 1900s, and indeed was covered with a dense natural forest, and bombing in 1944 destroyed the garden's

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

ic-era orangerie. Since end of World War II, however, the garden has gradually been restored. Today's garden contains about 5,000 specimens representing 1200 taxa. Its site is roughly rectangular, about 2 hectares in extent, with the following major features: * Front garden - primarily trees, including '' Albizia julibrissin'', '' Ginkgo biloba'', ''

Ilex aquifolium ''Ilex aquifolium'', the holly, common holly, English holly, European holly, or occasionally Christmas holly, is a species of flowering plant in the family (botany), family Aquifoliaceae, native plant, native to western and southern Europe, nort ...

'', ''

Liriodendron tulipifera ''Liriodendron tulipifera''—known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tulipwood, tuliptree, tulip poplar, whitewood, fiddletree, and yellow-poplar—is the North American representative of the two-species genus ''Liriodendron'' (the other ...

'', '' Metasequoia glyptostroboides'', as well as ''

Musa basjoo ''Musa basjoo'', known variously as Japanese banana, Japanese fibre banana or hardy banana, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the banana family Musaceae. It was previously thought to have originated in the Ryukyu islands of southern ...

'', ''

Phyllostachys viridis ''Phyllostachys'' () is a genus of Asian bamboo in the grass family. Many of the species are found in central and southern China, with a few species in northern Indochina and in the Himalayas. Some of the species have become naturalized in par ...

'', and a fountain. * Rear garden - reconstruction of a typical local hardwood forest, with greenhouses, Orto dei Semplici, thematic collections (including those of alpine plants and carnivorous plants), and the forest. * Forest - ''

Carex pendula ''Carex pendula'' (pendulous sedge, also known as hanging, drooping or weeping sedge) is a large sedge of the genus ''Carex''. It occurs in woodland, scrubland, hedges and beside streams, preferring damp, heavy clay soils. It is sometimes grown ...

'', '' Corylus avellana'', ''

Equisetum telmateia ''Equisetum telmateia'', the great horsetail or northern giant horsetail, is a species of ''Equisetum'' (puzzlegrass) with an unusual distribution, with one subspecies native to Europe, western Asia and northwest Africa, and a second subspecie ...

'', '' Hedera helix'', ''

Lonicera xylosteum ''Lonicera xylosteum'', commonly known as fly honeysuckle, European fly honeysuckle, dwarf honeysuckle or fly woodbine is a deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and " ...

'', '' Populus alba'', ''

Salix purpurea ''Salix purpurea'', the purple willow purpleosier willow or purple osier, is a species of willow native to most of Europe and western Asia north to the British Isles, Poland, and the Baltic States.Flora Europaea''Salix purpurea''/ref>Meikle, R. D ...

'', '' Sambucus nigra'', etc. * Pond / wetlands * Tropical greenhouses -

bromeliaceae The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain o ...

and orchids, coffee, palm trees, spice and medicinal plants, and plants of economic interest * Succulent plant greenhouse - approximately 5000

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

specimens from Central and South America, Africa, Madagascar, and the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

. * Carnivorous plant greenhouse -

carnivorous plant Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans Protozoa (singular: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a group of single-celled eukaryot ...

s from the genera Drosera, Pinguicula, and Utricularia. * Orto dei Semplici - a traditional herb garden, arranged by the plants' most common uses.

References

Orto Botanico dell'Università di Bologna
* G. Cristofolini, L. Conte, "L'Orto Botanico", in ''Storia illustrata di Bologna'', W. Tega (ed.), Repubblica di San Marino: AIEP, 1989, pages 41–60. * R. Savelli, "L'Orto Botanico di Bologna", ''Agricoltura'', no. 4, 1963, pages 3–10. * Pattaro S. Tugnoli, "L'Orto Botanico bolognese di Porta S. Stefano", ''Natura e Montagna'', no. 4, 1975, pages 29–39.
BGCI entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orto Botanico dell'Universita di Bologna 1568 establishments in the Papal States Botanical gardens in Italy University of Bologna Tourist attractions in Bologna Gardens in Emilia-Romagna

See also

References