Batumi Botanical Garden - European Route of Historic Gardens

Batumi Botanical Garden

Chronology

I Period (1912-1914)
The formation of the gardens structure and strategy. A big part of that time introduced plants (about 580 species) are still preserved to this day. From the beginning 6 Phyto-geographical departments had initially been created in the Batumi Botanical Garden.
II Period (1915-1934)
Coincides with I World and Civil wars.Plant introduction was connected with difficulties. From the inventory materials by that time 917 species, varieties and forms had been introduced.
II period (1935-1941)
During this period the introduction activities as well as the department of the introduction and acclimatization were supervised by a prominent scientist and an expert of humid subtropics Sergei Hinkul.The collection of the Garden was increased up to 1302 species.
IV Period (1941 – 1950)
The years of the World War II practically all contacts with other botanical gardens were terminated and introduction activities were ceased. The severe winter of 1945-1950 (-8,6°C) also made an impact on the decrease of the collection, it was reduced by 212 taxa.
V Period (1951-1965)
Coincides with the period of transition of the Batumi Botanical Garden under the authority of the Georgian SSR Academy of Sciences. The period saw the activation of the work on the issues of introduction, floristic composition, origin, systematic specification, etc. According to the data of 1th January, 1965 the collection of the Garden comprised1679 exotic taxonomic units.
VI Period (1965-1985)
The period was distinguished by a number of long sever winters (1967,1972, 1976, 1980, 1985) that mainly caused the damage of newly introduced species. By 1 January, 1986 the collection of woody plants increased by 358 taxa and comprised a total number of 2037 taxa including 375 genera of 112 families.
VII Period (1986 -2008)
During this period hard political-economic situation in the country since 1990s made a negative impact on the process of plant introduction.The fact that since 1998 the Batumi Botanical garden has been the member of the Council of the Botanical Gardens Conservatio International (BGCI) greatly promoted the activation of the work in elaboration of theoretical basics and methods of plant introduction and acclimatization, deep systemic study of the wild and cultivated flora as well as elaboration and implementation of innovated modern technological methods in the direction of plant protection.
VIII period
From 2008 till present the specification of the taxonomic composition of the plant collection (trees and shrubs) families and 532 genera.According to the phyto-geographical departments and collections they are distributed in the following way: East Asian -710, North American – 217, Eoropean-99, Transcaucasian Humid Subtropics -89, Himalayan-74, Australian -70, South American-22,Mexican-17, New Zealand-15, South Africa-1: cultivated forms:citruses-55, camellias-17, roses-50, maple-18, other cultural forms-46.

Natural environment

Batumi Botanical Garden

Natural environment

The Garden occupies about 1 km long southwestern part of the coastline between the estuary of the river Chakvistskali and Mtsvane Kontskhi (Green Cape), spreading up to 0-220 m above sea level. Previously, this territory was covered by Colchis type of forest which is represented by 3 ha of untouched Preserve territory in the Garden, in the Trascaucasian Humid Subtropics department.

A typical abrasive coast is developed in this section of the coastline with no beach zone along most of its length. Most part of the territory of the Botanical Garden is characterized by the linear and lateral erosion of surface waters. The erosive relief is mainly represented by steep-slope ravines, glens and hillocks with mostly roundish surfaces between them. In the highest part of the Botanical Garden, here and there you can find flat or slightly sloped surfaces of relatively small area.

Unique dendroflora

The micro and mesoforms of the relief within the boundaries of the Botanical Garden and its vicinities had mainly been formed on the crust of laterite (red-soil) exhaustion the development of which had been taking place during a long geological era in the conditions of chemical transformation of volcanogenic and deposit rocks (tufa, tuff sandstones, andesite, etc.) of mid Eocene age. On the laterite exhaustion crust of the sections with such surfaces (like the Ajara foothill zone some 300-400m above sea level) red soil is developed with heavy clay composition, rich in iron and aluminium oxides, having granular structure, the thickness of which reaches 100-150 cm.

Together with other components of the landscape, climatic condition is also of paramount importance for the unique dendroflora. The climate in the Garden is characterized by highly humid and warm subtropical climate. The Large amount of precipitation (2400-2700 mm annually) is mainly preconditioned by the strong condensation caused by the interaction between the damp air flow coming from the Black Sea and the mountainous relief of the coastline. The average air temperature fluctuates between 13,8-14,4°C, the average monthly temperature in January is 4-6°C whereas in august 22-23°C. The absolute maximum temperature reaches 38-40°C while the absolute minimum temperature can fall down to -10°C. The precipitation rarely comes in the form of snowfall and when it does, the thickness never exceeds 10cm. The relative air humidity fluctuates within 70-80%. The average annual speed of the wind is 4,6 m/s while the maximum reaches 39 m/s.