Yerevan Botanical Garden

Yerevan, Armenia, Armenia

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The Yerevan Botanical Garden is a large 80-hectare botanical garden located in the Avan district of northeastern Yerevan, Armenia, between Kanaker and Nork Heights at an altitude of 1,200-1,250 meters.

Founded in 1935 by renowned scientists A.K. Maghakyan, A.A. Hakhverdyan, and N.V. Mirzoyeva, it was established on what was originally a semi-desert area almost devoid of trees. The garden contains up to 1,100 plant species, including approximately 200 species of wild relatives of cultivated plants, about 70-200 rare and endangered species, and a 1.5-hectare collection of Armenian flora with around 750 species.

Its primary goals are to introduce unique and valuable plant species from different regions of the planet, create scientific and exhibition collections, study their adaptation to new ecological conditions, and use the most adaptable species for greening cities. The garden features ecological-geographical exposition plots covering 16 hectares with trees from the Caucasus, Crimea, North America, Europe, Siberia, and East Asia, plus collections of wild medicinal, fruit-bearing, ornamental, tropical, and subtropical plants.

Since 2008, the Paleobotanical Museum has operated within the garden, showcasing a wide variety of fossil plants from Armenia with support from the Volkswagen Foundation. The garden serves as a scientific, eco-educational, and recreational facility included in the Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences, functioning as a training base for university students and a unique recreation center for Yerevan's population.