Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden
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The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanic Garden (sometimes shortened to the SSR Botanic Garden), commonly known as the Pamplemousses Botanic Garden, is a popular tourist attraction in Pamplemousses, near
Port Louis Port Louis (, ; or , ) is the capital and most populous city of Mauritius, mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's financial and political centre. It is admi ...
,
Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
, and the oldest botanical garden in the Southern Hemisphere. Famous for its long pond of giant
water lilies ''Water Lilies'' ( ) is a series of approximately 250 oil paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet (1840–1926). The paintings depict his flower garden at his home in Giverny, and were the main focus of his artistic production during ...
(''
Victoria amazonica ''Victoria amazonica'' is a species of flowering plant, the second largest in the water lily family Nymphaeaceae. It is called Vitória-Régia or Iaupê-Jaçanã ("the Jacanidae, jacana's waterlily") in Brazil and Atun Sisac ("great flower") in ...
''), the garden, first constructed by
Pierre Poivre Pierre Poivre (23 August 1719 – 6 January 1786) was an 18th-century horticulturist and botanist. He was born in Lyon, France. He was a missionary to East Asia, intendant of French colonial islands in the Indian Ocean, and wearer of the cordon ...
(17191786) in 1770, covers an area of around . The garden, for a long time was ranked third among all the gardens that could be admired over the surface of the globe', have been known successively as 'Jardin de Mon Plaisir', 'Jardin des Plantes', 'Le Jardin National de l’Ile de France', 'Jardin Royal', 'Jardin Botanique des Pamplemousses', and during the British colonisation, 'The Royal Botanical Gardens of Pamplemousses' and 'The Royal Botanic Gardens, Pamplemousses'. On 17 September 1988 the garden was formally named "Sir
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (18 September 1900 – 15 December 1985), often referred to as Chacha "Uncle" Ramgoolam or SSR, was a Mauritian physician, politician, and wikt:statesman, statesman. He served as the island's only chief minister, first ...
Botanic Garden", named after the first
prime minister of Mauritius The prime minister of Mauritius () is the head of government of Mauritius. He presides over the Cabinet of Ministers, which advises the President of Mauritius, president of the country and is collectively responsible to the National Assembly ( ...
, as was the smaller SSR Botanical Garden of Curepipe. In addition to its giant waterlilies, the garden also features spices, ebonies,
sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
s, and 85 varieties of palms from Central America, Asia, Africa and the islands around the Indian Ocean. Many trees have been planted by world leaders and royalty, including
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. Ma ...
,
Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...
,
François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...
and
Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of th ...
. These gardens are situated in the village of Pamplemousses which lies about seven miles northeast of the capital, Port Louis. ''Pamplemousse'' or ''pamplemoucier'' is the
grapefruit The grapefruit (''Citrus'' × ''paradisi'') is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The flesh of the fruit is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark red. Grapefru ...
tree (''Citrus x paradisi''), which grows in the region, possibly introduced by the Dutch from
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
.


Associated property ''Mon Plaisir''

The gardens, which now cover an area of about , were set aside on 8 June 1729 for colonist P. Barmont 'barmond', who sold it on 3 January 1735 to Claude N. de Maupin, an overseer in the royal
French East India Company Compagnie des Indes () may refer to several French chartered companies involved in long-distance trading: * First French East Indies Company, in existence from 1604 to 1614 * French West India Company, active in the Western Hemisphere from 1664 t ...
. Subsequently, there were several other owners, and by 1805, the land had increased to about . By 1868, the gardens themselves occupied , with later additions to a total of . Only of garden remain, the rest being an experimental station.


Establishment

The origin of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Pamplemousses can be traced to the first and most famous French Governor of Mauritius, Mahé de La Bourdonnais at a time when the island was known as Isle de France. In 1735, Labourdonnais bought the property ''Château Mon Plaisir'' and created a vegetable garden to provide produce for his household, the young township of Port Louis, and the ships landing on the island. If this garden counts as precursor to the present garden, then Pamplemousses is the oldest botanical garden in the former British territories. On the other hand, its origin is often traced to 1768, when Pierre Poivre became director. Either way, it was one of the oldest and the most remarkable botanical collections in the tropics.


Function

Pamplemousses was probably the earliest of the 'botanical gardens' in the tropics; an 18th-century garden maintained as a nursery for the acclimatization of potential crop plants from overseas – although its status as a botanic garden is disputed. These gardens sometimes acquired botanical status under the directorship of a botanist who would establish a
herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant biological specimen, specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sh ...
. Pamplemousses is still a beautiful and interesting garden but without either herbarium or glasshouses. The garden was also used as a nursery for the planting and acclimatization of plants of botanical and economic importance that were introduced mostly from Europe and the East. Chief among the first introductions was
cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...
(manioc), which Labourdonnais brought from Brazil to provide food for the island's slaves. In 1739, the
French East India Company Compagnie des Indes () may refer to several French chartered companies involved in long-distance trading: * First French East Indies Company, in existence from 1604 to 1614 * French West India Company, active in the Western Hemisphere from 1664 t ...
took possession of Mon Plaisir and almost the entire estate was planted with mulberry trees in the hope of establishing a silkworm industry. Subsequently, the mulberries were replaced by a plantation of ''bois noir'' (''
Albizia lebbeck ''Albizia lebbeck'' is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar. It is widely cultivated and naturalised in other tropical and subtropical regions, including Australia. Common names in English inc ...
''), the charcoal of which could be used in the manufacture of gunpowder. The French had taken possession of the island as a naval base and the administration was geared towards taking precautions against the island being involved in a war. When Davis was appointed Governor in 1746, he built and resided at 'Le Réduit' and deserted the residence at Mon Plaisir, so that from 1746 until 1753, Mon Plaisir was virtually abandoned. Later,
Jean Baptiste Christophore Fusée Aublet Jean Baptiste Christophore Fusée Aublet (November 4, 1720 – May 6, 1778) was a French pharmacist, botanist and one of the earliest botanical explorers in South America.JSTOR He was one of the first botanists to study ethnobotany in the Neotro ...
, a horticulturist, was sent to establish a drug house and to create a botanical garden; he lived first at Mon Plaisir but was unhappy and transferred all his plant collections to Réduit. He was at loggerheads with 'M. Le Poivre p' ('Mister Pepper') — as he used to call
Pierre Poivre Pierre Poivre (23 August 1719 – 6 January 1786) was an 18th-century horticulturist and botanist. He was born in Lyon, France. He was a missionary to East Asia, intendant of French colonial islands in the Indian Ocean, and wearer of the cordon ...
— over the identification of nutmeg plants (''
Myristica fragrans ''Myristica fragrans'', commonly known as the nutmeg tree, is an evergreen species Indigenous (ecology), indigenous to the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. This aromatic tree is economically significant as the primary source of two distinct spices: n ...
''). After two visits to the Isle de France, Pierre Poivre was appointed Intendant of the island in 1767. The following year, he occupied Mon Plaisir in his official capacity and in 1770 he purchased the estate for himself. He was the creator of the present gardens, since in addition to a nursery for the acclimatisation of the nutmeg and clove plants, he also gathered together numerous plants from other areas with as many indigenous plant species as he could. It is thanks to Poivre and his successor Nicolas Céré, who devoted his life and most of his personal fortune to create the gardens, that Pamplemousses became well known to leading naturalists and acquired the worldwide fame it has since retained. Between 1810 and 1849, the gardens went through an unsettled and difficult period. In 1849, James Duncan was appointed director of the much neglected gardens. He restored the abandoned gardens to something of their former beauty and introduced numerous species of plants including many of the palms now represented in the gardens. By the middle of the last century, the sugar industry had been fast developing, and the gardens provided a suitable site for the introduction of new cane varieties from other parts of the world. Dr. Charles Meller, one of the directors of the garden, was sent to Australia and New Zealand to bring new varieties of canes; unfortunately, he died in the course of the journey. When the
malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
epidemic struck Mauritius in 1866, much of the gardens were used as a nursery for the production of thousands of
Eucalyptus tereticornis ''Eucalyptus tereticornis'', commonly known as forest red gum, blue gum or red irongum, is a species of tree that is native to eastern Australia and southern New Guinea. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in grou ...
trees which were introduced in an attempt to control the disease by drying out the marshes of the country, the breeding places of mosquitoes. The Director of the Botanic Gardens became in due course also the Conservator of forests. The gardens stayed under his care until the creation of the Department of Agriculture in 1913. The latter then took over the responsibility of the gardens and they have remained under its control ever since. Following the death of
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (18 September 1900 – 15 December 1985), often referred to as Chacha "Uncle" Ramgoolam or SSR, was a Mauritian physician, politician, and wikt:statesman, statesman. He served as the island's only chief minister, first ...
in December 1985 part of the Botanical Garden became a crematorium as the former politician became the first person to be cremated within its grounds. Since 1985 other politicians have used the crematorium, where a permanent concrete
Samadhi Statue of a meditating Rishikesh.html" ;"title="Shiva, Rishikesh">Shiva, Rishikesh ''Samādhi'' (Pali and ), in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, is a state of meditative consciousness. In many Indian religious traditions, the cultivati ...
has been erected, to commemorate the anniversary of Ramgoolam's death. Following the death of
Anerood Jugnauth Sir Anerood Jugnauth, GCSK, (29 March 1930 – 3 June 2021) was a Mauritian statesman, politician and barrister who served both as President and Prime Minister of Mauritius. He was Member of Parliament for Piton & Riviere Du Rempart. The c ...
in June 2021 part of the garden became a crematorium as the former president and former prime minister became the second person to be cremated within its grounds. A permanent
Samadhi Statue of a meditating Rishikesh.html" ;"title="Shiva, Rishikesh">Shiva, Rishikesh ''Samādhi'' (Pali and ), in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, is a state of meditative consciousness. In many Indian religious traditions, the cultivati ...
has been erected, to commemorate the anniversary of Jugnauth’s death. A lotus statue has been placed on the Samadhi. On a plaque next to his samadhi, it has his photo and something he said:


Flora and fauna


Animals

The animal corner has some deers (''
Rusa timorensis The Javan rusa or Sunda sambar (''Rusa timorensis'') is a large deer species native to Indonesia and East Timor. Introduced populations exist in a wide variety of locations in the Southern Hemisphere. ''Rusa'' is the Malay word for "deer" in g ...
'') and tortoises (''
Aldabrachelys gigantea ''Aldabrachelys'' is genus of giant tortoises, including the Aldabra giant tortoise (''Aldabrachelys gigantea'') native to the Seychelles, as well as two extinct species, '' Aldabrachelys abrupta'' and '' Aldabrachelys grandidieri'' known from M ...
'' and ''
Astrochelys radiata The radiated tortoise (''Astrochelys radiata'') is a tortoise species in the family Testudinidae. Although this species is native to and most abundant in southern Madagascar, it can also be found in the rest of this island, and has been introd ...
''). The garden also boasts several bird species.
Parrots Parrots (Psittaciformes), also known as psittacines (), are birds with a strong curved beak, upright stance, and clawed feet. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genus (biology), genera, found mostly in ...
,
ducks Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...
, and the Madagascar moorhen commonly known as "''Poule d'Eau''" are regular encounters. The bats (''
Pteropus niger ''Pteropus'' (suborder Yinpterochiroptera) is a genus of megabats which are among the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. They live in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Austr ...
''), which is Mauritius's only endemic mammal, can also be spotted hanging on tree tops during day time. Within the ponds, several aquatic animals like
turtles Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked turtle ...
,
fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
and
eels Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order (biology), order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 Family (biology), families, 164 genus, genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the earl ...
can be seen. In August 2016, it was reported that the deer on exhibit were suffering from scabies.


Aquatic species

A walk through the garden will make you witness some of the most prized aquatic plants like the giant water lily (''
Victoria amazonica ''Victoria amazonica'' is a species of flowering plant, the second largest in the water lily family Nymphaeaceae. It is called Vitória-Régia or Iaupê-Jaçanã ("the Jacanidae, jacana's waterlily") in Brazil and Atun Sisac ("great flower") in ...
''), the sacred Indian lotus (''
Nelumbo nucifera ''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as the pink lotus, sacred lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant taxon, extant species of aquatic plant in the Family (biology), family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a ...
'') and the different ''
Nymphaea ''Nymphaea'' () is a genus of hardiness (plants), hardy and tender aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution. Many species are cultivated as ornamental plants, and many cultivars have been bred. Some ta ...
sp''.


Palm

The garden has a grand scale of palms with no less than 80 species. Some of them are endemic to the Mascarenes. However the Talipot palm (''
Corypha umbraculifera ''Corypha umbraculifera'', the talipot palm, is a species of palm native to eastern and southern India and Sri Lanka. It is also grown in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Mauritius and the Andaman Islands. It is one of the five accepted species in t ...
'') is a special one. It can reach heights of around 25 m and palmate leaves have a diameter of around 5 m. It bears flowers once in its lifetime between 30-80 years and then dies.


Species Diversity

The garden has a collection of rare and magnificent plant species brought in from across the globe and also plants native to the island. Several specialised areas of the garden have been created to house medicinal plants, endemic flora, spices and ferns as well as orchids.


Plant corners

There are two plant corners: the Medicinal Garden and the Spice Garden.


Medicinal Garden

It was created in 1995 with the collaboration of the Chinese Agricultural and Technical Team (CATT) at the corner of the Shrimati Indhira Gandhi Avenue and the one that leads to the Old Sugar Mill Model. The corner has been restored in May 2009. It comprises some 100 species which further add to the botanical collection at the garden.


Spice Garden


References


External links


SSR Botanical Garden official site
* From the Mauritius Times. {{Coord, 20, 6, 29.35, S, 57, 34, 38.11, E, display=title
Isle de France (Mauritius) Isle de France (, ) was a French colony in the Indian Ocean from 1715 to 1810, comprising the island now known as Mauritius and its dependent territories. It was governed by the French East India Company and formed part of the French colonial e ...
Pamplemousses District Botanical gardens in Mauritius
Botanical Garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe 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 ...