Saramsa Garden, also known as Ipecac Garden, is a public garden close to

Ranipool Ranipool is a small suburban town located in the bank of river Ranikhola at the junction of National Highway 10 and National Highway 717A in Gangtok District of the Indian state of Sikkim. It is 12 km before from Gangtok capital. It has ...

, in Pakyong District,

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Established in 1922, the garden has served a variety of purposes. Initially dedicated to growing fruit for the local colonial officers, it later became known for cultivating the medicinal plant ipecacuanha. For this reason the garden is also known as Ipecac Garden. When the growing of ipecacuanha was discontinued, the garden was repurposed as an orchidarium and a recreational garden for picknickers. In 2008, the garden hosted the International Floriculture Show, attracting 50,000 visitors on each of its three days.

Location

Saramsa Garden is located between the hill slopes of

Gangtok Gangtok (, ) is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Sikkim. The seat of East Sikkim district, eponymous district, Gangtok is in the eastern Himalayas, Himalayan range, at an elevation of . The city's population of 100 ...

and

Pakyong Pakyong () is a city and district headquarters of Pakyong district in the Indian state of Sikkim, located in the foothills of the Himalayas. Pakyong Airport is the only airport of Sikkim. The "National Research Centre for Orchids" ( ICAR Insti ...

on NH-717A. The park is situated approximately 12 km away from Pakyong and 14 km away from the capital Gangtok.

History

The garden was established in 1922 by the Sikkim Forest Department. From 1922 to 1954 the Forest Manager nurtured the garden as his pet project with intense involvement in introduction of plants. His interest in

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

floriculture Floriculture (from ) is the study of the efficient production of the plants that produce showy, colorful flowers and foliage for human enjoyment in human environments. It is a commercially successful branch of horticulture and agriculture found ...

and

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

largely helped in his pursuit. Initially established with the main purpose of growing different fruits like pineapple, guava, varieties of oranges and lychee for the

British Political officer The Indian Political Department, formerly part of the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India, was a government department in British India. The department looked after the diplomatic and "political" relations with the subs ...

and the

Palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

, the garden developed into a main center for introduction of fruits. The practice of growing fruits continued until 1940, after which the Forest Department introduced ipecacuanha from Zohore in Malaysia. This is used in the production of

syrup of ipecac Syrup of ipecac (), or simply ipecac, is a drug that was once widely used as an expectorant (in low doses) and a rapid-acting emetic (in higher doses). It is obtained from the dried rhizome and roots of the ipecacuanha plant ('' Carapichea ipe ...

, a powerful

emetic Vomiting (also known as emesis, puking and throwing up) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteritis, preg ...

. Though cultivation of ipecacuanha was discontinued in 1970, the garden is still famous by the name Ipecac Garden. In 1975, the garden was converted into an orchidarium for growing different types of orchids. The majority of plants and trees that can be seen growing in the garden at present were introduced from 1975 until 1980. In 2008 the garden hosted the International Flori Show, an event promoted by the

Government of Sikkim The Government of Sikkim also known as Sikkim Government or State Government of Sikkim, is the administrative executive authority of the Indian state of Sikkim and its Districts of Sikkim, 6 districts, created by the Constitution of India, Natio ...

to promote the region as a centre of

References

{{Reflist Gardens in India Pakyong district Protected areas of Sikkim 1922 establishments in Sikkim