288:
144:
80:
and import seeds that would 'prove beneficial to
Britain'. In following the broader colonial programme of 'plant interchange', the Saint Vincent Botanic Garden was designed to cultivate new West Indian export markets by way of introducing foreign plant species from the East. Though a 'premium' had been offered by the Royal Society in 1760 for the cultivation of useful plant species, there is no evidence that Melville ever claimed a reward for the Botanic Garden.
339:
152:
17:
95:'to bring more valuable plants of that country' to Saint Vincent, and left Dr. Young ' library relating to botanical history', 'other handbooks of science', and 'all his mathematical instruments'. According to a letter dated 20 July 1766, Melville also arranged for cinnamon seeds to be sent to Doctor Young from the French Island of Guadeloupe
280:. He completed his mission in Kingstown, Saint Vincent on January 23, 1793, with plants from the South Seas. The Botanic Garden's curator Alexander Anderson took great care of these plants, and the success of all those efforts is evident from the widespread distribution of breadfruit, the most useful food plant throughout the West Indies.
190:, urged that "physical practitioners of the country, natives of experience, and even old Caribs and slaves who have dealt in cures might be worth taking notice of, and if at any time you should think that a secret may be got at or even an improvement for small expense, I shall readily pay for it." The
112:
from which they originated, the garden's botanists acquired plants from three of the world's six photochoria; approximately twelve per cent from
Holocratic North America and Europe; forty-one per cent from Neotropical Central and South America, and forty-seven per cent from the Palaeotropical regions
79:
The function of the garden therefore appears to have been congruous with the establishment of other eighteenth-century
Caribbean Gardens at Bath and Liguanea in Jamaica, where superintendents were asked to 'explore indigenous plants, ascertain their values and uses', 'do the same with exotic plants',
70:
show that island commissioners were on 15 December 1765 directed to lay aside six acres of land as part of a 'steady plan' to facilitate botanical discoveries and encourage the cultivating of nutritional, medicinal and commercial 'improvements' for Saint
Vincent's population. Accounts compiled later
107:
Surviving plant catalogues â of which there are five â provide a quantitative account of the garden's expansion from 1765. These documents show a twenty-fivefold increase in the number of plants when classified by genus until the early nineteenth century; 52 in 1773, 769 in 1792, 796 in 1793, and
507:
Data is sourced after Ellis, Some
Additional Observations; âA Catalogue of Plants in His Majesty's Botanical Gardens in the Island of St Vincentâ, 24 Dec. 1792, SLNSW, JBP, 56.02, FL3187553; âA Catalogue of Plants brought from Otaheite by his Majesty's Ship Providence Sept. 24th. 1793â, 24 Sept.
75:
are more detailed, affirming that the garden was created to facilitate the ' plants as might be of advantage' to the
British West Indies and the 'nation at large'; namely in the provision of new 'foods, medicines or batches of commerce' that could not be cultivated in Britain's North American
283:
The first half of the nineteenth century was a lean time for colonial botanic gardens. By 1850, due to a lack of interest and maintenance, the Saint
Vincent gardens had fallen into disrepair. Local efforts in Saint Vincent initiated in 1884 began to revive the gardens; by 1890 the work was
171:, decided to create a botanic garden, primarily to provide medicinal plants for the military and improve the life and economy of the colony. Eighteenth-century botanists placed great emphasis on introducing valuable and commercial plants from the
517:
Data is sourced after:Ellis, SomeAdditional; Guilding, An
Account;âA Catalogue of Plantsâ,âList of useful plantsâ, and LSLA, MS/605. Plants were organised phytogeographically using: ââRoyal Botanic Gardens Kewâ: Plants of the World Onlineâ,
593:"Series 56: Letters and plant lists received by Banks from Alexander Anderson, concerning the breadfruit voyage of HM Ships Providence and Assistant, William Bligh, 1792â1793, State Library of New South Wales"
91:, and Anderson's 'Account' shows he directed the commanding officer at the Kingstown Garrison to requisition a plot of barrack land for the garden. He then established a correspondence with governors on the
315:). The layout of the re-established gardens was improved by the construction of a small Doric Temple, by road building and by the continuous introduction of plants to maintain and add to the collection.
468:âRobert Melville to George Young, 15 December. 1765â, in An Account of the Topographical and Geographical Situation of His Majesty's Botanical Garden of St. Vincent, 1807: London, LSLA, MS/605, p. 7.
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295:
The
Botanical Gardens soon regained their former glory and beauty, and the plant collections were recovered. Considerable attention was given to experimental work in the gardens on
244:, who served from 1785 to 1811, the Botanical Gardens quickly attained an enviable reputation and received wide acclaim. The garden attracted talented successor curators, including
508:
1793, SLNSW, JBP, 56.07, IE3186265 and L. Guilding, An
Account of the Botanic Garden in the Island of St. Vincent, from its First Establishment to the Present Time (Glasgow, 1825).
741:
751:
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Given the paucity of government funding and logistical support provided for the garden, many of these plant species were sent by French botanists working from
702:
579:
A Voyage to the South Sea For The Purpose Of Conveying The Bread-Fruit Tree To The West Indies, Including An Account Of The Mutiny On Board The Ship,
83:
Unlike other colonial projects, the garden did not attract government funding from Britain. Instead, documents indicate it was privately financed by
617:
133:
498:
Some Additional Observations on the Method of Preserving Seeds from Foreign Parts for the Benefit of our American Colonies (London, 1773).
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49:. A historic landmark of major national, regional and global significance, it currently occupies approximately 8 hectares (20 acres).
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The Nicholas Wildlife Aviary Complex, located within the gardens, maintains a captive breeding program to conserve the vulnerable
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If it ever existed, the garden's royal charter has neither survived nor yet been rediscovered. However, letters exchanged between
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38:
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Under George Young (1765â1785), and the capable and enthusiastic guidance of the second superintendent curator,
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tree in the twenty-first century collection of the gardens came from an original plant brought in 1793 by
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Alexander Anderson, Scottish botanist who served as the Botanic Gardens curator from 1785 to 1811
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Several members of the British royal family have planted a tree in the garden, where pink poui (
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to collect breadfruit and other useful plants for the West Indies. Undaunted by the notorious
553:
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274:
352:, the national bird. These endemic parrots can be found in the wild and also in the aviary.
412:
Howard, Richard (1975). "Modern Problems of the Years 1492 â 1800 in the Lesser Antilles".
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206:
8:
356:
191:
756:
384:
331:
42:
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Thomas Dancer, Some Observations Respecting the Botanical Garden (Kingston,1804), p.8.
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fostered the introduction, establishment, and dissemination of highly prized species.
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109:
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329:) was planted by Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, on 27 February 2012, and a baobab (
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in (1763) the newly appointed governor of the southern British Caribbean islands,
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140:, Governor of Guadeloupe from 1794 to 1795 and French Guiana from 1802 to 1809.
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335:) tree was planted by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, on 28 November 2016.
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Captain William Bligh, 1814, who introduced breadfruit to the West Indies
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259:(of Bounty fame). In 1787â88 Captain Bligh made his ill-fated voyage on
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because they support significant populations of local birds, including
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132:. Notable participants in this network of plant exchange included the
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reactivated as part of a larger agricultural and botanical scheme.
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41:. Established in 1765, it is the oldest botanic garden in the
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of his first crew, Bligh again set sail for Tahiti aboard
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in England to be sent later to the American tropics. The
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Important Bird Areas of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
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of South-East Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Africa.
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Botanical gardens in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
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Natural history of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
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marquis de Bouillé François Claude Amour du Chariol
99:and by 1773 the garden contained 52 plant species.
248:, George Caley, Henry Powell, and William Sands.
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539:"The St. Vincent Botanic GardenâThe Early Years"
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221:came from French and Caribbean sources, such as
31:Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Botanic Gardens
167:, and the military surgeon in Saint Vincent,
658:National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority
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45:. It is one of the most visited sites in
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108:1,311 by 1806. Classed according to the
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414:Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden
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537:Howard, Richard (Winter 1997â1998).
355:The gardens have been designated an
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233:. From Kew Gardens came seeds from
66:and the island surgeon botanist Dr
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618:"Botanic Gardens Natural Landmark"
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47:Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
39:Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
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624:. BirdLife International. 2024
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377:Antillean crested hummingbirds
251:A third-generation clone of a
186:Melville, anticipating modern
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581:Project Gutenberg, No. 15411.
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196:Honourable East India Company
393:lesser Antillean bullfinches
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520:http://powo.science.kew.org
441:"Botanical Gardens website"
198:sent seeds and plants from
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217:in the East Indies. Other
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690:List of botanical gardens
646:Botanical Gardens website
103:Expansion and development
87:during his tenure in the
71:by Young's successor Dr
365:lesser Antillean swifts
64:General Robert Melville
718:13.16583°N 61.227083°W
389:Saint Vincent tanagers
361:BirdLife International
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373:green-throated caribs
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319:Conservation programs
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257:Captain William Bligh
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20:Drawing of breadfruit
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723:13.16583; -61.227083
350:Saint Vincent amazon
343:Saint Vincent amazon
207:British North Borneo
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552:(4). Archived from
385:Grenada flycatchers
357:Important Bird Area
192:War Department (UK)
651:2014-08-26 at the
622:BirdLife Data Zone
480:LSLA, MS/605, p.4.
381:Caribbean elaenias
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332:Adansonia digitata
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242:Alexander Anderson
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110:floristic kingdoms
73:Alexander Anderson
43:Western Hemisphere
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695:Andromeda Gardens
680:Botanical gardens
522:(August 1, 2021).
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161:Peace of Paris
159:Following the
118:Saint Domingue
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89:Windward Isles
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33:is located in
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597:the original
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453:. Retrieved
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299:until 1944 (
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291:Garden vista
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169:George Young
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93:Spanish Main
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68:George Young
61:
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28:
721: /
709:61°13.625âČW
188:ethnobotany
177:Kew Gardens
173:East Indies
736:Categories
628:2024-09-13
603:2007-05-28
563:2007-05-28
455:2014-08-21
399:References
277:Providence
262:HMS Bounty
253:breadfruit
227:Guadeloupe
126:Guadeloupe
122:Martinique
76:colonies.
757:Kingstown
706:13°9.95âČN
670:Herbalism
359:(IBA) by
313:sugarcane
305:arrowroot
275:HMS
205:and from
35:Kingstown
675:BotĂĄnica
664:See also
649:Archived
546:Arnoldia
223:cinnamon
200:tropical
194:and the
85:Melville
231:Grenada
219:species
215:Sarawak
130:Cayenne
53:History
420:: 371.
301:cotton
271:mutiny
267:Tahiti
213:, and
557:(PDF)
542:(PDF)
309:cacao
235:China
225:from
211:Sabah
203:India
418:62/2
391:and
371:and
311:and
229:and
128:and
29:The
265:to
175:to
22:by
738::
620:.
550:57
548:.
544:.
527:^
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395:.
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