National Botanical garden Kirstenbosch

The Botanical garden of Kirstenbosch east locates in the easiest part of the suburbs of the city of the Cape in South Africa. This Botanical garden is one of most famous in the world from its collection and its exceptional situation.

Presentation

This garden is located on the Eastern side of famous the Montagne of the Table ( Table Mountain ).

The garden, founded in 1913, currently occupies a surface of 528 Hectare S:

36 ha. on the least sloping part of the zone, are especially arranged in botanical garden.
16 ha. are devoted to the administrative buildings, greenhouses or utility installations various (restaurant, bookstore, meeting rooms, etc).
478 ha which cover the buttresses of the Mountain, are assigned to the forest and the vegetation natural of the " fynbos".

This term of " fynbos" indicate the shape of regional vegetation, made up of plants buissonnantes adapted on the poor ground and the periodic fires, in particular of the proteacées , éricacées and restionacées.

The garden, drawn with much care, reflects an esthetic preoccupation with a research obviously. The vegetable masses are distributed harmoniously, with broad reserved spaces with the lawns. Water Ruisselets and parts decorate the landscape. The advance of the visitors was carefully studied, Broad avenues or small paths are equipped with benches for the rest and offer by place of the shaded zones. The indication of these ways, like that of the plants, is in general excellent. In the upper part of the garden, three well arranged circuits allow the walkers solved methodically to discover the natural forest and the fynbos. The garden is as a whole maintained very well. The European or American tourist can be astonished by the fitting by the garden, because the near total of the plantations are outside carried out those which seldom the case in the European and North-American gardens. Although created with an at the same time educational and scientific aim, the particularly harmonious fitting attracts many visitors, especially inhabitants of the Cape, who come in family to slacken, in particular the weekend. Best the period to visit the garden is of at the end of August at the end of October (the whole beginning of the be southern). From December to March in the concerts in the open air are organized (mainly Classical music and Jazz).

History

The origin of the name " Kirstenbosch" is dubious: a certain number of families bearing the name Kirsten lived in the vicinity and it is possible that the name of the garden of it is resulting: Kirstenbosch (the forest of Kirsten).

The establishment of workers and their families since 1811 caused particular changes. Two great ground concessions were created. Colonel Bird built a house with the foot of Window Gorge (throat of the window) and planted chestnuts. Henry Alexandre built a house on the site of the old living room of the. The family of Ecksteen acquired properties in 1823 and later the grounds were transmitted to the family of Cloete. They cultivated the sector and planted oaks, fruit trees and vines. In 1895, Cecil Rhodos bought the property of the Cloete family and named a guard. These grounds were used for the breeding of pig which nourished nipples. The avenue of Rhodos, also known under the name of the Alley of the camphor trees, was planted in 1898. Rhodos dies in 1902 by bequeathing Kirstenbosch to the State as an element of its great field of Groot Schuur.

It is only after the death of Cecil Rhodos that the garden is really born. Professor Pearson came to South Africa in 1903 to fill the lately established Pulpit of botany to the Université of the Cape. In February 1911 Pearson, on the suggestion of his/her friend Neville Pillans, visited Kirstenbosch to evaluate its suitability like site for a botanical garden. July 1st, 1913, the wild and invaded field of Kirstenbosch was put on side by the government with a concession of £1 000 per annum. Pearson was the ideal man to become director but there was not enough money to have wages. It accepts this task, despite everything. Finances were the biggest problem on this date, the concession of government was supplemented by nipple and the firewood sale. Pearson was confronted, when work started with the ruins of the farm of Cloete, with thousands of pigs, grasses in the orchards: thus roughly speaking it was opposite a completely dilapidated garden. It started with what is known today like planting “The Dell” of the cycas. In 1916, at the age of 46, professor Pearson died of a pneumonia. It was a serious blow for the garden. Buried in the garden its epitaph is - “if you seek his monument, look around you”: (" Yew ye (English you new) seek his monument, look around"), in reference to the true monument of Pearson which is in fact the garden.

The earliest developments were the Amphitheater of cycas, Dell below the basin and a large surface of lawn. Many rocks and ground was transported to create an aloe floor that Pearson had wished to see and who was to be the most exceptional device of the garden. The aloes succumbed to rust and other diseases. To offer an original provision and because of a topography sometimes provocante, much of building work was necessary. The use of the local stone of mountain of Table was a device dominating. Rubbles, the paving of the ground or many the gravel advance illustrate the talent of the personnel which contributed significantly to the development and the history of Kirstenbosch. During the first 50 largest years of work was made manually - carriages and mules were principal “the material” the workmen had. As of 1970 the sector of the garden developed by the man gradually climbed until reaching 40 hectares roughly. The lawns and the edges replaced the ways to allow an easier maintenance.

The mission and the objectives of the garden were evolved/moved with the wire time:

1915 - Center of the pr. Pearson for research, the education and the conservation of our vegetation.

1938 - the objectives of the garden were posting, economic survey, scientists, research and conservation.

1955 - the main aims were scientists and educational - to imply the collection, study, posting and conservation.

1996 - to contribute significantly to a quality of life improved for all the Africans of the south, in an environment influenced by the man, by supporting the conservation and the bearable use of our indigenous flora.

1998 - to support the use, the conservation, the appreciation and the pleasure bearable of the particularly rich flora of South Africa, with the profit of all its people.

Collections

The Botanical garden of Kirstenbosch counts almost only plants of Southern Africa. It is divided into two principal zones: the cultivated zone which count different the collection from plants, and the natural zone, which is spread out partly over the mountainsides of the table and is composed of forests, vestige of the old forests of the Cape. The cultivated part gathers some 6000 species of plants which could adapt to the local climate and the nature of the ground; the natural zone counts approximately 900 species. Of course the flora of the area of the Cape is represented in priority. It is exceptionally rich. Occupying 4% of the surface of the State, it counts 8500 species, that is to say 42,5% of the total of the species of the country. One also finds in the garden various old trees of European or exotic origin (oaks, camphor trees,…) planted by the former owners of the zone. The ground of the park was formed by the decomposition of the granitic crumblings of rocks or sandstone Schiste ux coming from the Mountain of the Table. It is rather acid.

The cultivated zone is composed of several parts:

the Academy (the conservatory), is a fact a greenhouse which contains the plants not being able to be cultivated outside, mainly because of the climate. These plants come from various zones of Southern Africa since the snow-covered peaks of Drakensberg to the extreme desert of Namib. It is divided into several parts:

it central part of the greenhouse is reserved for the plants of the arid zones and arid (Karoo, Namaqualand or Namib) and counts all kinds of xerophytic plants: Aloe, Euphorbium S, Pachypedium, Crassula and other succulent. In the center of this part a baobab tree sits.

them plant-stones: this part is reserved as its name indicates it to Lithops and related, like with some other succulent plants.

- Eastern Wraps : Count many euphorbiums and aloe of this area to the unforeseeable climate.

- Alpine : In this part especially air-conditioned to reach temperatures ranging between 10 and 18°C, one meets all kinds of plants coming from various zones from high altitude like the Drakensberg or the Lesotho. It includes/understands in particular Pelargonium, Gasteria, Crassula and other alpine plants resisting the rigor of the climate.

- Bulbs : The floristic Région of the Cape is richest in the world in plants with Bulbe. One finds there strange plants like the Eucomis or extremely rare like the orchises of the kind DISA. Others are much more common like the Glaïeul S, Amaryllis or Freesia S, which decorates our gardens.

- Ferns : Although the Southern Africa has few forests, it is rich in ferns pushing in the wettest zones of this zone and mainly in the moderate forests of South Africa. One also finds there some other plants of the wet areas like Fuchsia S.

the Gondwana garden : This very particular part is reserved for the qualified plants of alive fossils. Indeed the majority of these plants appeared there is nearly 200 million years. It is the case of the cycas, tree ferns, Ginkgo or prêles. One also finds the fossils of these plants exposed in this part.

Peninsula Garden (the Garden of the peninsula): This part presents quantity of the 2500 plants of the Peninsula of the Cape.

the Toilets-wise Garden (literally the judicious water garden) watch which one can create a garden by using much less water than in a conventional garden with a ground more adapted or a use of the shade to limit evaporation.

the Fragrance Garden (Garden of the scents): this part is intended for the plants having particular scents and textures. One finds all kind of plants since the Pelargoniums with the sheets scented until the Gardénia with the heady perfume.

Medicinal Garden: this medicinal garden counts many plants whose healing virtues are used since always by the many cultural groups of the Southern Africa.

The Dell: It is the oldest part of the garden, with for epicentre the Bath of Colonel Bird ( Colonel Bird' S Bath ), built in 1811, for Colonel Christopher Bird. Paving stone and surrounded by tree ferns it is one of the most visited zones of Kirstenbosch. The amphitheater of cycas is an impressive collection of these threatened plants.

Fynbos Walk (the walk of the Fynbos): One of the most appreciated parts garden, mainly for its situation (it is located in the highest part of the cultivated zone of the park and thus offers a splendid sight on the city of the Cape). This typical vegetation of the South-west of South Africa is characterized by plants buissonnantes resembling the Mediterranean maquis much. Protea Garden counts a large collection of protée S, these plants typical of the fynbos which they embellish by their spectacular flowering. Restio Garden exposes these very current snap rings and elegant present in abundance in the fynbos. This zone very close to the part not-cultivated of the garden attracts by the abundance of flowerings of many animals and in particular of the Souimanga S which come butiner the flowers from protées.

Camphor Avenue: The famous avenue of the Camphrier S is one of the required passages of the park. These trees now monumental were planted by Cecil Rhodos in 1898, in the honor of the Victoria Empress. Not far from there Bushveld Garden is which reproduces the landscape typical of savanna with acacias and tall grasses. Mathew' S Rockery (Rubble of Mathew) built in the honor of the first conservative of Kirstenbosch presents a sumptuous collection of succulent being able to push outside among which Aloès, Euphorbes and other Crassulas. A great extent of grass is intended for the concerts.

the entry of the garden is very interesting: one finds there in particular Vygie Beds which is in fact an immense floor of Ficoïde S flowering in October offering an incredible palette sharp. The principal pond presents a beautiful vegetation of the marshy zones: blue Papyruses, Water lily S and other plants Palustre S. Annual garden presents many plants of Namaqualand like the Dimorphotecha or the Ganzania S, very communes in our gardens.

But in addition to the Botanical garden in itself, the not cultivated part offers a great interest. Many paths arranged very well make it possible to be inserted in this primary Forêt of the Cape, with its Cycas and its yellowwoods, if typical of this vegetation.

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