Rio De Janeiro Botanical Garden
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The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden or Jardim Botânico is located at the Jardim Botânico district in the South Zone of
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
. The Botanical Garden shows the diversity of Brazilian and foreign flora. There are around 6,500 species (some endangered) distributed throughout an area of as well as 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 King
John VI of Portugal '' Dom'' John VI (; 13 May 1767 – 10 March 1826), known as "the Clement" (), was King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves from 1816 to 1825, and after the recognition of Brazil's independence, titular Emperor of Brazil ...
. Originally intended for the acclimatization of spices like
nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed, or the ground spice derived from the seed, of several tree species of the genus '' Myristica''; fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg ('' M. fragrans'') is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fru ...
, pepper and
cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...
imported from the
West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
, the garden was opened to the public in 1822, and is now open during daylight hours every day except 25 December and 1 January. The park lies at the foot of the Corcovado Mountain, far below the right arm of the statue of '' Christ the Redeemer'' and contains more than 6,000 different species of tropical and subtropical plants and trees, including 900 varieties of palm trees. A 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. The park is protected by the Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional and was designated as a biosphere reserve by
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
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 gardens house collections that include bromeliads,
orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth ...
, carnivorous plants, and
cacti A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...
. 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.''Michelin Travel Guide Rio de Janeiro'' 2009:177;
Illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation, or visual explanation of a text, concept, or process, designed for integration in print and digitally published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vi ...
.
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, rusty-margined guan, slaty-breasted wood rail and the endangered endemic white-necked hawk. Capuchin monkeys and tufted-eared marmosets are also frequently seen in the Botanical Gardens. Features of interest include an old gunpowder factory, the Victoria lilies in the Lago Frei Leandro pond, the Japanese Garden, and many sculptures and fountains.


Gallery

File:Bertichem 1856 jardim botanico rio janeiro.jpg, The Imperial Botanical Garden in 1856 File:Botanical garden rio bell.jpg, William Bell's stereograph taken on the 1882
transit of Venus A transit of Venus takes place when Venus passes directly between the Sun and the Earth (or any other superior planet), becoming visible against (and hence obscuring a small portion of) the solar disk. During a transit, Venus is visible as ...
expedition. File:Albert Einstein em visita ao Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro.jpg,
Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...
(center) visiting the Botanical Garden in May 1925. File:RioBotanicalGarden-VisitorCentre1.jpg, Visitor centre File:Imperial palm trees.JPG, A palm tree avenue (landscape
allée In landscaping, an avenue (from the French), alameda (from the Portuguese and Spanish), or allée (from the French), is a straight path or road with a line of trees or large shrubs running along each side, which is used, as its Latin source ' ...
) of '' Roystonea oleracea'' palms. File:Chafariz emoldurado.jpg, Fountain of the Muses File:ChristBotanicalView.JPG, View of the Christ the Redeemer statue from the garden during the winter. File:Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro Vitória-Régia I.jpg, Victoria lilies File:JBRJ Jardim Sensorial 01.jpg, Sensory Garden File:JBRJ Cactário.jpg,
Cactus A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...
garden File:JBRJ Vista do Corcovado.jpg, Corcovado Mountain, with ''Christ the Redeemer'' at the top, as seen from the Botanical Garden. File:JBRJ Cômoro Frei Leandro 02.jpg, Friar Leandro do Sacramento Memorial File:BotanicalGarden-FreiLeandro.jpg, Bust of Friar Leandro do Sacramento at the memorial. Sacramento was the first director of the Botanical Garden. File:JBRJ Busto de Dom João VI.jpg, Bust of King John VI, the founder of the Botanical Garden File:JBRJ Gruta Karl Glasl.jpg, Karl Glasl cave File:Jardim Botânico - Lago do Pescador.jpg, Amazon Region - Fisherman's Lake File:JBRJ Relógio de Sol Equatorial.jpg, Equatorial Sundial File:JBRJ Ponte do Jardim Japonês.jpg, Japanese garden File:JBRJ Prédio 01.jpg, Administrative building File:JBRJ - Caminhos 02.jpg, Paths File:Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro.jpg, Garden path and park bench. File:JBRJ - Bromeliário 02.jpg, Bromeliads File:Xochipilli Statue on Brasil.JPG, Replica of a statue of Xochipilli, the Aztec god of flowers File:Botanical_Garden_Meliponario-Rio_de_Janeiro.jpg, Meliponário File:584 Garça moura.jpg, Cocoi heron hunting at Frei Leandro Lake


Notes


External links


Research Institute of Rio de Janeiro Botanical Gardens (in Portuguese)
{{authority control Parks in Rio de Janeiro (city) Botanical gardens in Brazil Botanical research institutes Research institutes in Brazil National heritage sites of Rio de Janeiro (state)