Melbourne’s Botanic Gardens Among World’s Finest

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31291, 10 February 1967, Page 6

Melbourne’s Botanic Gardens Among World’s Finest

An outstanding attraction in the city of Melbourne is the Royal Botanic Gardens, rightly regarded as one of the finest and most beautiful in the world, an area where one can quite easily spend the day without having seen anything properly.

The gardens, originally conceived in 1842 and now over 120 years old, are situated not far from the busiest railway station in Australia, Flinders street. They comprise about 90 acres, including eight acres of lake, and are bounded by the Yarra river on the north and the imposing white building of Government House on the west. The environment and climate facilitate the growing of an exceptionally wide range of trees, shrubs, succulents, cacti, grasses and flowers, to provide great contrast in shape, foliage and diversity of flower form and colour. Needless to say, the area is a mecca for botanist and photographer alike. It would necessitate extensive travel to find exhibits of plants from tropical, subtropical and temperate areas all growing in the open. The layout is predominantly divided into 10 major named lawns which are connected by wide paths. 45 Oak Species

For instance, there is Oak Lawn where, as the name suggests, oak trees have been planted, 45 species front all over the world. There are such giants as the Algerian oak, Quercus mirbeckii with an over-all spread of more than 100 feet, and the burnt oak, Quercus ntarcrocarpa, a species with an acorn about two inches long. Although oaks predominate in this area other trees have also been used, including a really out-

standing specimen of the Formosan sweet gum, Liquidamber formosana, which is one of the most memorable sights, from its central position, during autumn. Tennyson Lawn was named in honour of Hallam, Lord Tennyson, the second Gover-nor-General of Australia, and is the original part of the garden. It is on this lawn that some of the oldest trees,

English elms, can be found and also one of considerable historic significance. It is the so-called separation tree, a large red gum, Eucalyptus camaldulensis. Under this tree the authorised separation of the colony of Victoria from New South Wales took place in 1851 and a commemoration plaque records the incident. At the centenary celebrations of this occasion, a seedling was planted as a replacement for the original tree when it dies. There are more than 70 commemorative trees around the gardens, planted by visiting dignitaries. Australian Natives As can be expected a very comprehensive collection of Australian native plants has been accumulated and can be seen in the Australian border and also in the section devoted excusively to New South Wales and Queensland vegetation, although eucalypts and others are to be seen dotted around throughout the area. Amongst the attractions one can see kangaroo paws; Loch’s rhododendron, Rhododendron lochae, the only rhododendron native to Australia; the bird catching tree, Pisonia inermis, which has the awesome habit of trapping small

birds and large Insects on the sticky young pods; banksias, eucalypts, Acacia and many others. Visitors from New Zealand will feel quite at home nearby for a good cross-section of subjects indigenous to New Zealand go to make up an area devoted to vegetation from this area.

Wandering around one can find large collections of rhododendrons, camellias, conifers and hydrangeas, date palms and native grass trees planted in groups or singly here and there, large borders devoted to canna lilies, and elsewhere a collection of over 30 varieties of decorative crab apples. A Japanese banana may be seen either in fruit or flower, elsewhere growing on a Canary Island pine, a 60ft wisteria can be seen

The lakes form an integral part of the gardens’ landscape, providing a haven for black swan and many other native birds and fish, and allowing for the cultivation of water lilies, the sloping grassed banks provide ideal picnicking areas. Four glasshouses are situated close together but of these two are used for propagating and are not open to the public.

Of the other two one is opened periodically as it is used for special exhibition purposes. Displays of cyclamen and primula abconicum can be seen in winter, over fifty varieties of pelargoniums during October and November, and tuberous begonias during the late summer and autumn.

The other house contains what is probably the finest collection of tropical plants in this part of the world, in excess of 700 different species and varieties being represented, including pineapples, bananas, philodendrons and such individual exhibits as the screw pine and medinilla. Adjacent to the Royal Botanic Gardens is the national herbarium which was founded in 1857. Within its walls are contained nearly one and a half million pressed plants from all parts of the world. Research, collecting specimens and identification are its main functions. All the native plants discovered in Victoria and almost all known Australian native plants can be seen whilst botanists are always on hand to give assistance in identification and related matters. In addition to the herbarium collection a very extensive botanical library is also shelved in the building. Banksia callina and agave, as illustrated, are among subjects in the garden.