We often visit the parks to relax, escape from the hustle and bustle in a calm and peaceful atmosphere. But they can be created not only for recreation and entertainment, but also, for example, to have a research focus. There are a wide variety of parks, such as historical, zoological, memorial, but in this article we will talk about dendrological parks and botanical gardens. Let's look at their purpose and history.
Dendrological parks: definition
"Arboretum" from Greek is translated as "tree". The Latin name will sound like "arboretum." Arboretum park is an arboretum zone that is intended for public recreation. Its territory is reserved for cultivation in the open ground of woody plants, which are placed according to one or another characteristic, for example, decorative and geographical. It is noted that most often arboretums belong to the botanical gardens, but can also be independent units. Arboretums began to appear in connection with the development of such an area of botany as dendrology.
Note arboretums with the most diverse collection of tree species: Sochi, Forestry Engineering Academy in St. Petersburg, as well as the Main Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow). The following examples of parks can be distinguished abroad: the Kurnik arboretum in Poland, the Kew arboretum (near London), and the Nikitsky Botanical Garden arboretum in Crimea. Arboretums can have a narrow focus, that is, only certain types of plants can be grown in them. These can be syringaria (specializing in the cultivation of lilacs), populites (poplar), coniferetums or pinaria (conifers), fruticetums (shrubs), viticetums (lianas).
There is a single rule for all arboretums: all trees and shrubs are arranged on a systematic basis. That is, those that belong to the same genus will be planted in a separate area. Visiting the arboretum, you can get to know the amazing world of plants that are on the verge of extinction or are no longer found in nature.
History of occurrence
A tree in the plant world has always occupied an important role, since throughout the history of mankind it has brought great benefits to people. In the 18th century, works on dendrology appeared, but they only reflected a description of the external characteristics of plants. Later, scientists began to deal with such issues as the acclimatization of trees, the study of their genetics, as well as the creation of new species. Particular attention was paid to the introduction - the introduction of crops in those places that are not peculiar to their growth.
The challenges facing these objects
Dendrological parks and botanical gardens are directly related to the lands of specially protected areas. They represent a separate category of protected areas, where special plant collections are created in order to enrich the plant world and preserve biodiversity. In addition, they are necessary for the implementation of educational, scientific and educational activities. These environmental institutions are developing the scientific foundations of landscape architecture, ornamental gardening, landscaping, introducing wild plants into culture, protecting them from pests and diseases, and much more.
Legal regime of dendrological parks and botanical gardens
Let's look at who these territories are controlled by. Lands on which botanical gardens and dendrological parks are located are transferred for indefinite use to certain institutions. The territories of these objects are divided into various functional zones: expositional, scientific-experimental, and administrative.
Natural monuments, dendrological parks, botanical gardens have a special legal regime. The first are established by the decision of the Government of Russia and the executive bodies of the Russian Federation on the proposal of authorized state bodies in the field of environmental protection.
Those who are related to the land plots on which natural monuments are located are required to carry out activities to ensure the regime of their special protection. Botanical gardens and arboretums can be both regional and federal. Activities that are not related to the performance of their tasks and are capable of violating the integrity of floristic objects are prohibited on their territory.
An example of a famous arboretum in Russia
Dendrological, botanical parks and gardens are spread around the world. A lot of them are in Russia. An example of such a park is the Sochi Arboretum, which is part of the Sochi National Park. He, like other similar objects, acts as the keeper of the green collection. Located in the heart of the resort city, being a magnificent corner of exotic flora and fauna. There are more than 1700 species of trees and shrubs that are collected from different parts of the planet.
Sochi arboretum with its architectural structures, sculptures and fountains looks like a work of art. It appeared in a southern resort at the end of the 19th century, and was reconstructed in the 50s of the last century. Currently, more than 2 thousand species of the world flora are planted in the park. He has long been included in the excursion program of most tourists. This tropical kingdom impresses with its variety of exotic plants that bloom even in winter. Not far from it, in the Adler district, there is also the Southern Culture dendrological park.
What is a botanical garden?
According to the definition given by the International Council of Botanical Gardens to the Botanical Garden, it is an organization that has documented collections of living plants used for research purposes, as well as for educational processes, preserving biodiversity and demonstrating the flora presented in it. Other definitions state that a botanical garden is a green area created for the above purposes. That is, the difference in the interpretation of this concept lies only in the fact that it is called either territory or organization.
In the modern view, this concept refers to a specially protected urban landscaped area, on the basis of the resources of which landscape gardens, documented green collections are created. At botanical gardens, greenhouses, nurseries, herbaria, and tour and education departments usually operate.
The collection of the Main Botanical Garden, which is located in Moscow, has many species of plants from the countries of the Northern Hemisphere, which were not immediately able to get used to the climate unusual for them.
When did the botanical garden first appear?
The first botanical garden was created in the XIV century in the Italian city of Salerno, which was famous in the Middle Ages for the oldest medical school in Europe. One of the famous doctors was Matteo Silvatico, who was also a botanist. In those days, various plants were the main source of medicine.
This man first opened a botanical garden: in it, students who were to become doctors in the future could get acquainted with medicinal plants. The name was given to him in honor of the ancient Roman goddess of wisdom - "Garden of Minerva." It became the place where plants began to be grown for scientific purposes. Such gardens later began to spread in Italy, and then appeared in other European countries. At first, they retained a medical focus, and then began to be created for other purposes.
The activities of the botanical gardens
In our country, for the first time, the botanical garden appeared under Peter I, namely in 1706. It was created in order to grow medicinal plants in it, and the name only emphasized its focus - “Pharmaceutical garden”. But he also carried educational tasks. Then the king himself planted larch, fir and spruce in the garden, so that visitors could clearly see the differences between them.
Botanical gardens are protected natural areas and scientific institutions. Their area is divided into sectors that correspond to certain climatic zones. For those plants that cannot take root in open ground, greenhouses are built in which the proper conditions are created. As scientific institutions, botanical gardens perform the following tasks: the study of plants and the conservation of rare species. At these institutions there are herbarium collections, libraries of literature on botany, and there are excursion departments.
China has the largest botanical garden, the scale of which is amazing. It is crossed by 13 rivers, it has mountains and gorges. In the Nikitsky Botanical Garden, which is located on the Crimean peninsula, olive grows, whose age is more than 2000 years. The largest botanical garden in Europe is the Main Botanical Garden named after N.V. Tsitsin RAS (Moscow). The northernmost point in the world where such an object is located is Norway. In our country, it is located on the Kola Peninsula.
Conclusion
Based on the information presented here, the great importance of objects such as dendrological parks and botanical gardens becomes more obvious. They carry many functions and reflect the beauty of the flora of our planet. In these corners of nature created by man, in one place you can see various species of plants collected from many countries of the world.