National Botanical Garden (Botswana) Explained
| National Botanical Garden |
| Map: | Botswana |
| Map Width: | 250 |
| Label: | National Botanical Garden |
| Label Position: | right |
| Coords: | -24.6668°N 25.9449°W |
| Location: | Okwa Road, The Village |
| Nearest City: | Gaborone, Botswana |
| Area: | 7ha |
| Operator: | Botswana National Museum |
| Open: | Monday to Friday: 8:00am to 12:30pm and 2:00pm to 4:00pm.
NBG is closed during public holidays and weekends.[1] |
The National Botanical Garden is a 7ha park located along the Notwane River 3km (02miles) south-east of the city center of Gaborone.
The National Botanical Garden first opened on 2 November 2007, with the purpose of protecting Botswana's heritage.[2] The park is managed under the Natural History Division of the Botswana National Museum.[3] It is the first botanical garden in Botswana, housing indigenous plants from around Botswana.
Layout
The garden is composed of six sections corresponding to six different ecological regions in Botswana. The six regions and common plants found in that region are
- Chobe - Moporota (Sausage Tree) and Mukusi (Pod Mahogany)
- Okavango And Salt Pans - Tsaro (Wild Date Palm) and Mokolwane (Ilala Palm)
- Mophane Woodland - Mophane and Monepenepe (Long-tail Cassia)
- North-Eastern Kalahari - Mokgwapha (Mountain Aloe) and Mosunyana (Umbrella Thorn)
- Mashatu - Motha (Nyala Tree) and More-o-mosetlha (Fever Tree)
- South Western Kalahari - Hoodia and grasses
In addition to displaying indigenous plants, the park also is in charge of maintaining botanical monuments around the country like the morula tree in Gaborone under which the first meeting of the Botswana Democratic Party was held.[4]
Notes and References
- Web site: National Botanical Garden. 22 June 2012. Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture Botswana. https://archive.today/20120622201352/http://www.mysc.gov.bw/nmmag/index.php/national-botanical-garden. 22 June 2012. dead.
- Web site: Botswana Opens its First Botanic Garden. Botanic Gardens Conservation International. 22 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120612094507/http://www.bgci.org/worldwide/news/0444/. 12 June 2012. 5 November 2007. dead.
- Web site: Menyatso. Diphetogo. Botswana National Botanical Garden. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network. 22 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20130619213158/http://www.sabonet.org.za/gardens/gardens_botswana.htm. 19 June 2013. dead.
- Web site: The Morula Tree. 22 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20131018020429/http://dumelafromgabs.blogspot.com/2009/03/morula-tree.html. 18 October 2013. live. 14 March 2009.
