Unique in its way, the botanical garden situated in Bucharest opened its gates in 1860 on the initiative of Doctor Carol Davila, near by the faculty of medicine.
Situated in the west part of the city, on the right bank of Dambovitza river the garden of 7 ha was arranged by Ulrich Hoffman - the botanist that later on, would also become the first director of the institution. Six years later the leadership of the botanical garden was taken by the well known botanist Dimitrie Grecescu which developed the plants collections and increased the exchanges with the European gardens. Under his lead was published the first catalogue containing 3700 indoor and outdoor species of plants. In 1870 the development of the botanical garden was interrupted, the location serving now as a park for the royal family. In 1874 the botanical garden was moved in the center of the town, near Sutu Palace, close to the University.

This is the moment when Dimitrie Branzda takes over the botanical garden, trying to obtain new fields serving its purpose. Ten years later his efforts will be rewarded: on the 28th of February 1884, the botanical garden receives the ground on which is situated nowadays and also the necessary money to be arranged similarly as the Liege Botanical Garden. On this occasion comes to life also the Botanic Institute and the Museum. In 1932 the garden passes under the town hall administration moving away from its fate. During the Second World War the botanical garden suffers big damages. In 1954 the botanical garden passes again in the University care, situation maintained until today. In 1960 the new green houses have been build and also the new Botanical Institute where we can find various plants collections. In 1978 the new Botanical Museum organized on ecological basis was inaugurate. No sooner than the year 1994 the garden took the name of its benefactor.

Organized in sectors, the garden has both outdoor (in open air) and indoor (green houses) arranged spaces. On the ground left free were planted those species that are resistant to the winters meet in the plain areas with temperate climate, in the green houses being kept only the exotic species. The decoration sector occupies 5000 mp. This sector was established in 1956 and occupies the space placed at the garden’s entrance. No matter the season, this is the sector that always amazes the visitor by its variety of colors. The 500 herbaceous and wooden plants were grouped so that to draw attention the same to the plants and flowers goer as to the specialist. The sector containing rare plants, sat up in 1962, contains plants that have been declared both national and regional nature monuments. This sector will know a particularly growth due to the declared mission of the botanical garden, to conserve those species in danger to extinct. The Mediterranean flora sector counts over 200 species that can also be found in our country in the areas of Banat but also in the south of Oltenia and Dobrogea. The sector known as the “Italian Garden” is set near the Botanical Institute and stretches between two alleys of chestnut – tree. The space is elegant, rectangular with rounded extremities and contains all kind of plants, as well as a basin with aquatic species. Dobrogea’s flora occupies a hill where there can be observed specific herbaceous and wooden plants species.

In the “Carpathians sector” the species are grouped on vegetation areas: forests of many plies (deciduous tree) and coniferous. On the Coniferous Hill, the waterfall and the monumental cypress are the main attractions. The lake stretching at basis of the hill is covered with water lilies. The Rosary arranged in 1976 on a half hectare, gathers 120 rose species of various sizes, types of blossom, colors and perfumes. They are always flowered from late spring until autumn. The iris’s collection contains 70 different species (12 spontaneous species) having a variety of colors, from white and yellow till velvet violet with smaller or bigger flowers. The garden also has a sector of useful plants - medicinal (250), industrial and fodder. The systematic sector tries to show the visitors the way plants evolved until today. The nursery was created to improve the sectors in the open air, but it is also a good way to self-finance. In the present time it is improving and the trees obtained here are sold. The green houses with 8 compartments are meant to protect species as: palm trees, orchids, ferns, tropical water plants, juicy plants, cactuses and many other decorative plants. On the central pavilion lies the “Palmarium” which occupies a surface of 600 mp and has 40 species originated in China, Indochina, India, Africa and North America. In the orchids compartment there can be found 36 species brought from South America and Java but also orchids species that develop in the same climactically conditions.

The ferns compartment has a rich plants collection brought from all over the world. The sector containing Mediterranean plants has different kinds of citric species, coffee, olive, laurel and many other meet only in this climate. In the compartment of the subtropical water plants we can meet among other aquatic plants, the water lily of Amazon but also carnivore plants because of the humidity that they need. In the juicy plants compartment and the one of the cactuses, we can admire bizarre plants that amaze us with their forms and flowers colors. The green houses build in 1889 – 1891 stretching on a surface of 760 mp are the oldest in the country and are used for obtaining the necessary vegetal material for the green houses expositions as for attending some species that need special conditions. The green houses used for production are partially underground and their purpose is to give the necessary plants for arranging the opened air sectors.

The Botanical Museum located on an alley close to the entrance, keeps carefully in its rooms the history of the garden and gives us the opportunity to meet with the greatest personalities of the Romanian botanic but also to study the vegetation areas of our country, the useful and medicinal plants. In here the visitor can also study interesting things about edible and poison mushrooms or can admire Angiolina Santoco’s variety collection of 5000 watercolors but also different plants and flowers preserved by drying up or kept in alcohol. The plants collection sat up in 1882 by Dimitrie Branzda was seriously damaged during Second World War bombardments and only a part of the plants gathered here have been saved. Later on, the garden tried hard to remake the collection receiving donations from different specialty institutions.

The library contains over 9000 volumes, publications and excerpts of great interest for the botanists. It was constituted based on the exchanges with the 250 botanical’s garden partners. The botanical garden seedy offers the exchange possibility between institutions from our country and abroad. The botanical garden located in Bucharest, the same as other botanical gardens, is involved in educating the public that loves nature and it is an education and research institution, which recognizes as main goal preserving biodiversity and protecting the environment.

Source: http://www.egradini.ro

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