Bogor garden striving to blosom

Bogor garden striving to blosom

JAKARTA (JP): The management of the Bogor Botanical Garden
announced that it is determined to continue programs for
preserving its collection of rare plants and also developing
tourism.

Chief of science department of the garden Sukendar said
yesterday they have collected over 4,000 rare plants from all
over Indonesia as well as from a number of other countries.

He also said that the Bogor Botanical Garden is frequently
used as research center by college students and other research
institutions.

Sukendar said to Antara that the garden has taken steps to
increase its collection by exploring for various scientific
tropical plants all over Indonesia and also hopes house them in
a new nursery.

The garden's collection includes various medicinal plants,
ornamental plants and fruit trees.

One of its well-known collections is Victoria amanzini Ca
called giant lotus with leaves reaching around 1.5 meters in
diameter. The wide variety of collections makes the garden
attractive enough to be a major tourist site, feels Sukendar.

Another attraction is the giant orchid called Granntophylum
from Kalimantan, which has 1.5 meter-long tendrils and can
produce around 100 flowers.

The garden also has the oldest palm tree from West Africa
which was transported here in 1848. It is reportedly the origin
of all palm trees in Southeast Asia.

"The garden's technical unit has also conducted a number of
cooperation programs by exchanging plants with other gardens from
other countries," Sukendar said. (yns)