| Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden | |
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| Universiteit Stellenbosch Botaniese Tuin | |
 Pathway through the lush vegetation in the Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden | |
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| Location | Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 33°56′10″S18°51′55″E / 33.93611°S 18.86528°E /-33.93611; 18.86528 |
| Elevation | 122 metres (400 ft) |
| Operated by | Stellenbosch University |
| Website | www |
TheStellenbosch University Botanical Garden, located in the historical center ofStellenbosch, is the oldest universitybotanical garden inSouth Africa. The Garden is relatively small and houses an enormous diversity of plants, bothindigenous to South Africa andintroduced species. It is open to the public.
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The history of the Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden dates back to 1902, when lecturerAugusta Vera Duthie grew plants next to the then–Main Building on campus for research and student practicals. The Botanical Garden's current site dates back to 1922, whenGert Cornelius Nel, professor of botany at the time, convinced the University Council to allocate land for the establishment of the Garden. Hans Herre was appointed as the first curator of the Garden in 1925. Curators of the botanical garden included Hans Herre (1925–1962), Wim Tijmens (1962–1999), Deon Kotze (1999–2012), Martin Smit (2013–2018), and Donovan Kirkwood (2018–2025[1]).
The Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden fulfills many functions within the university and the local community. The garden supports the research and training of students withinStellenbosch University and increasingly has a strong conservation focus, working on species on the brink of extinction. In 2018 the garden was accredited as a Conservation Practitioner by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).[2] The local community and other visitors also use the garden for both relaxation and education.
Some facilities in the garden include the Botanical Garden Shop, which functions as a visitor center but also sells various books, seeds, and local plant products; a small specialist nursery; and the Katjiepiering Restaurant. The garden itself is also utilized for sculpture exhibitions.[3]
Stellenbosch is located in a valley at an average elevation of 136m above sea-level. It has aMediterranean climate with dry warm summers. Winters are cool and rainy. During spring and autumn daytime temperatures hover in the 20 °C's. This mild climate allows the garden to grow an incredible diversity of plant species. Various plants indigenous to theCape Floral Kingdom andsouthern Africa, many of themrare,threatened orendangered species, can be found in the garden. Even some indigenous species now classified asextinct in the wild, such asErica verticillata, can also be found in the garden. The garden also has various theme gardens and various specific plant collections.
The Western Cape Bonsai Heritage Collection is probably the biggest publicly accessible collection ofbonsai in South Africa and features trees from well-known South African bonsai enthusiasts such as Becky Lucas, Gerjo van der Merwe and Louis Nel.[4]
A large collection of ferns can be found throughout the garden, especially in the two ferneries. Several species offerns andtree ferns (especially the genusCyathea) along with other closely related plants such as horsetails (Equisetum) are among thegenera represented in the collection.
Several insectivorous plant species are grown in the garden, including pitcher plants (Nepenthes andSarracenia) and sundews (Drosera).
Medicinal plants and herbs from all over the world and southern Africa can be found in the garden. Some indigenous medicinal plants found in the collection include: boegoe (Agathosma), cancer bush (Lessertia frutescens), wild rosemary (Eriocephalus africanus),Pelargonium peltatum andTetradenia riparia to name a few.
The collection was started in 2001 and has grown to currently include about 70% of southern African species. It acts as both a reference and research collection, and houses almost all specimens included in the species-level molecular phylogenetic reconstruction of southern AfricanOxalis.
A wide variety ofsucculent andxerophytic plants from especiallysouthern Africa andMadagascar can be found in the two arid houses and throughout the garden. Some interesting succulents and xerophytes on display includeWelwitschia mirabilis,Aloidendron dichotomum (quiver tree),Xerosicyos danguyi (silver dollar vine),Dioscorea elephantipes (elephant's foot) andPachypodium namaquanum (halfmens). Rare vygies such asHerreanthus meyeri (named after Hans Herre),Meyerophytum meyeri andFenestraria aurantiaca are also on display.
Some interesting trees that can be found in the garden includeSequoiadendron giganteum (giant sequoia - the biggest tree species on earth),Metasequoia glyptostroboides (dawn redwood - thought to be extinct until 1948) andSequoia sempervirens (Californian redwood - the tallest tree species on earth). Other trees of interest vary from olive trees (Olea europaea) grown from cuttings taken from the Garden ofGethsemane, to various trees indigenous to southern Africa such asNuxia floribunda (forest elder), to subtropical trees such asCinnamomum verum (cinnamon).
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