Botanical Garden of Mérida, Botanical garden in Mérida, Venezuela.
The Botanical Garden of Mérida spreads across a large mountain area southeast of the city at about 1,800 meters elevation. The grounds include various zones with native pine forests and specialized collection areas featuring hundreds of plant species.
The University of the Andes founded this garden in 1991, though it did not open to the public until 2002. This gap allowed time to establish extensive collections before welcoming visitors to explore the grounds.
The garden serves as a learning space where visitors encounter the plant diversity of the Venezuelan Andes. The paths lead through different habitats that show how plants adapt to various elevations in the mountains.
The site sits at high elevation, so visitors should walk slowly and take frequent breaks. It is wise to dress warmly, as temperatures at this altitude are significantly cooler than in the valley below.
The bromeliad collection began in 2000 as a training programme for the National Institute of Educational Cooperation (INCE), and a second stage in 2001 involved CORMETUR tourist-information staff. The genus Tillandsia is the most numerous, with more than 14 new records added since 1998, over 25% of the species found in Venezuela.
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