South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences botanical garden in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China.
The South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is a large research facility in northeastern Guangzhou, home to thousands of plant species from southern China and the tropics. The grounds are divided into themed sections, each dedicated to a specific plant group such as magnolias, palms, gingers, orchids, and medicinal herbs.
The garden was founded in 1929 as a research station for agriculture and forestry, originally linked to a university. Over the following decades it joined the Chinese Academy of Sciences and grew into one of the country's leading centers for plant science.
Many of the plants on display have been used in Chinese medicine and cooking for generations, and their names and properties are explained along the paths. Walking through the medicinal herb section gives a clear sense of how deeply plants are woven into everyday life in southern China.
The grounds cover a large area, so comfortable shoes and a generous amount of time are helpful, particularly if you plan to walk through all the themed sections. A metro station nearby makes reaching the garden easy from the city center.
The garden holds one of the largest collections of magnolia species in the world, as many members of the genus are native to southern China. This part of the grounds is worth visiting in early spring when many species flower at the same time.
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