Botanical Parks in Türkiye

Botanical Parks in Türkiye:

Türkiye has a total of nine botanical gardens, four of which are members of the International Botanical Gardens Conservation Organization and meet specific botanical garden standards. So, what is a botanical park (garden)? The primary purpose of botanical gardens is to create rich collections by identifying the homelands of plants and their scientific and colloquial names.

Istanbul University Alfred Heilbronn Botanical Garden, Istanbul
Opened in 1935, Istanbul University Alfred Heilbronn Botanical Garden is Turkey's oldest botanical garden. Its greenhouses, home to tropical plants, and an outdoor walking area make it a fascinating venue. You can see specimens of plants and trees from many parts of Turkey and the world, including snowdrops, Thracian tulips, coffee trees, vanilla, insect traps, banana trees, and avocados.

Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanical Garden, Istanbul
Established in 1995 as a memorial park in honor of Ali Nihat Gökyiğit and his wife, Nezahat Gökyiğit, the garden has now been transformed into a botanical garden home to numerous plant species. Arranged in seven islands, each corner of the garden has been designed for a different purpose.

Atatürk Arboretum, Istanbul
Construction of the Atatürk Arboretum began in 1949 by the Istanbul University Faculty of Forestry and opened in 1961. The arboretum houses what was known as Turkey's first nursery at the time. The open-air museum, renamed "Atatürk Arboretum" in 1981 to commemorate Atatürk's 100th birthday, features endemic plant species, endangered tree species, and plants and tree species from different climates imported from abroad.

Ege University Botanical Garden, Herbarium Application and Research Center, Izmir

The botanical garden and herbarium center was established in 1970 as part of the university's Faculty of Science. In addition to providing research and teaching services, it aims to promote and foster a love of natural and cultivated plants for the public. The center, which also houses research, teaching, and ornamental plant greenhouses, introduces tropical, xerophytic, and exotic plants to the public and students. The Ege University Botanical Garden houses approximately 3,000 plant species. These plants are of Turkish and foreign origin, and seed exchanges are conducted with foreign botanical gardens to enrich the collection and use in research. The greenhouses cover a total area of ??1,300 square meters and consist of 13 greenhouses of varying sizes. One tropical greenhouse, one cactus greenhouse, and one cold greenhouse, while the remaining sections house ornamental plants and research greenhouses. In this section, 250 taxa of tropical trees, shrubs and ornamental plants and about 200 species of cactus are also seen.

Karaca Arboretum, Yalova
Karaca Arboretum was established by Hayrettin Karaca on 13.5 hectares of land. Today, it houses approximately 7,000 different plant species, subspecies, varieties, and cultivars. Karaca Arboretum is Turkey's first private arboretum. Its remarkable collections include many important species and cultivars of the genera Acer, Prunus, Malas, Magnolia, Quercus, Betula, Pinus, and Picea.

Çukurova University Botanical Garden, Adana
The Çukurova University (ÇÜ) Research and Application Center in Adana, located on a 200-acre site, boasts Türkiye's richest endemic plant species. The Botanical Garden awaits those who want to explore nature. It includes sub-gardens for rock gardens, medicinal and aromatic plants, palm trees, and the Natural Mediterranean Valley.

Gaziantep Botanical Garden, Gaziantep
Established in 2009 by the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, the botanical park aims to create and develop a living collection of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants found in the flora of Gaziantep, Turkey, and the world. It includes a total of 10 different gardens, including an educational garden serving as a classroom for students.

Süleyman Demirel University Botanical Garden, Isparta:

Established in 1988, the botanical park aims to cultivate all kinds of plants, especially those from the Lakes Region, and to promote interdisciplinary scientific activities.