Lae Botanic Gardens, Botanical garden in Bumneng, Lae City, Papua New Guinea

Lae Botanic Gardens is a botanical garden in Bumneng spanning 38 hectares of lowland forest with natural waterways running through dense vegetation and massive buttressed trees. The site includes specialized greenhouses for orchids and aroids, a herbarium housing about 300,000 plant specimens, and a research building.

The gardens' history is tied to the Papua New Guinea National Herbarium, established in the 1940s and now holding about 300,000 specimens, including 2,335 type specimens and 100,000 spirit collections. The Forest Research Institute building on Huon Road was donated by the Government of Japan in 1989 as a symbol of friendship and cooperation. The herbarium ranks third in size in South East Asia and holds collections from the Indonesian provinces, the Solomon Islands, Malaysia and tropical Australia.

The gardens display living orchids and aroids in their greenhouses, reflecting the diverse plant life of the region. Visitors can observe these plants in naturalistic settings and learn about the vegetation that surrounds local communities.

The site is best explored on foot, with paths leading through different sections and greenhouses accessible year-round. Wear comfortable shoes as the terrain is uneven, and allow time to wander through the forested areas at a leisurely pace.

The Papua New Guinea National Herbarium, established in the 1940s, holds about 300,000 specimens, including 2,335 type specimens and 100,000 spirit collections, making it the largest plant collection in the country and the third largest in Southeast Asia. It also keeps plants from the Indonesian provinces, the Solomon Islands, Malaysia and tropical Australia.