Introduction
In 1896, an official nursery of less than 5 hectares was established near Xiaonanmen (Little South Gate, at the present south end of Bo’ai Road) in the southwest of Taipei city. This marked the birth of the Taipei Botanical Garden. The nursery was managed by the Forestry Experimental Station of the Regenerative and Products Division. It was divided into different areas for the growth of seedlings and plantation of mother trees, and some lower-lying areas were turned into ponds.
Trees chosen from Taiwan and other regions were transported and planted in the nursery, which rapidly built a reputation, and took on an educational role. Over the years, acquisition of land enabled the nursery to expand, once reaching a size of around 15 hectares. Currently, the garden spans 8 hectares.
In 1911, the Taiwan Forestry Experimental Station of the Regenerative and Products Bureau was established. The Taipei nursery was designated as its principal research site and on January 22nd, 1921, it was declared as Taipei Botanical Garden. In August of that year, the Central Research Institute was established and took over the Regenerative and Products Bureau. A separate Forestry Division was established. The Botanical Garden was placed under the control of this new Division which retained the Garden’s existing employees, some of whom were sent to Europe, the Americas, Australasia, Africa and South East Asia to collect plants. By the early 1930s, the garden contained 1,120 species of plants, of which more than half were of foreign origin. With this collection, Taipei Botanical Garden played a vital role in botanical research and education in Taiwan. Then, the development of the garden ceased during the World War II. After the war, the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute has restored the garden and cultivated new plants through careful management. Now, the buildings and plants in the garden are even more impressive than before, with over 2,000 species of plants on display.
Tourist Services
Please refer to the Taipei Botanical Garden website
Garden Area Guide
Please refer to the Taipei Botanical Garden website
Places of Particular Interest
The Herbarium Building
The Herbarium was established in 1904 in the old Taiwan Governor-General’s Office and is the oldest herbarium of Taiwan. In 1924, the Herbarium Building was constructed and inaugurated inside the Taipei Botanical Garden, and used as a specimen depository till 2000. The Herbarium is now located in the Forest Conservation Building to accommodate the increasing numbers of specimens. As the first building represents Taiwan’s history of plant taxonomy, it has been listed as a historical site.
The Guest House of Imperial Envoys
The Guest House of Imperial Envoys is a historical relic building. This building was constructed in 1888, in the 15th year of the reign of the emperor Guangxu, in the current location of the Taipei Zhongshan Hall. At the beginning of the Japanese occupation, it was used as an army headquarter and the Governor General’s quarters. However, after establishment of new Governor General’s Office (now the Presidential Office Building of Republic of China, Taiwan), the Japanese authorities chose to erect the Taipei Civil Hall (now the Taipei Zhongshan Hall) on the site of the Taiwan Administration Office. Thereafter, in order to preserve the building, the most distinctive features of the Guest House of Imperial Envoys was relocated to the Taipei Botanical Garden.
The design style of the Guest House of Imperial Envoys is particularly interesting. It is an official-looking building with three corridors leading inside. It contains a large hall with living rooms on both sides, passages on the left, right and center of a gate and a doorway. Its historical significance has been well preserved in the Taipei Botanical Garden, making it a must-see for all visitors.
Interesting Plants
The Botanical Garden contains certain exceptionally interesting plants, such as the Small-leaved Barringtonia whose flowers open at dusk and for the duration of the night in summer; candlewood trees whose flowers grow on the tree trunk; Sausage trees whose fruit is sausage-shaped and the large floating leaves of Victoria regia originated from the Amazon.