Petrozavodsk State University Botanic Garden

The Petrozavodsk State University Botanic Garden (PSUBG) was founded in 1951 and is located in Petrozavodsk, the capital of the Karelian Republic, Russia. It is situtated in the northern part of the middle taiga zone--the very northern limit where trees exhibit normal growth features. The taiga is the thick, evergreen forest of northern Siberia, beyond it lies the tundra. The Garden offers the only remaining example of this particular habitat within European Russia.

The Garden occupies 370 hectres. The collections cover about 40 hectres, the rest is covered by forest, meadows, swamps and rocks--the typical Karelian landscape elements. The large number of species, ecotypes and forms growing here provide a unique opportunity for research work by students and scientists.

Over the past two years, the Garden has been a very active participant in number of scientific and social programs, both Russian and international. One of our main aims is rare plant preservation. Being located in the Karelia region, the Garden is able propagate plants in their native habitat, via both ex situ and in situ methods. At present about 36 species of vascular plants forming natural populations at PSUBG are listed in Karelia`s Red Book (1985).

Among other projects the Garden has produced many fruit trees for Karelian gardeners and there are plans to organize a nursery garden to develop seedlings for the Karelia region.

The pricipal sections of PSUBG are:

Arboretum
Horticultural Plant
Medical Plants
Ornamentals
Information Technology
Seed Laboratory

We are greatly interested in making contact with botanical gardens in Canada, Great Britain (especially Scotland), Ireland, Sweden and Norway, so that plants propagated in these countries can be introduced to our botanical garden. Due to the absence greenhouses, we would gladly work with one of the the tropical botanical gardens. We are also interested in exchanging information on the preservation of rare northern plants. Catalogue

-- PSUBG Staff
If you would like to contact the Botanical Garden, plesase email us at: garden@mainpgu.karelia.ru
Or visit our Web site at: http://www.karelia.ru/psu/English/Structure/garden_e.html

The Gardens of the World column is sponsored by the Seed Guild, providers of unusual and rare seeds.

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