Late last week the National Botanical Garden Dr. Rafael M. Moscoso celebrated its 48th birthday. Built during the Joaquin Balaguer administration, the Botanical Garden has maintained its reputation as one of the best botanical gardens in the Americas. It is a center beloved and very frequented by Dominican people of all ages and over the years has developed programs to preserve, promote, and propagate the most important species of the Dominican flora.
One of the major thrusts of the garden is to save those native species that are endangered due to urbanization or the expansion of farmlands. Native fruits, and beautiful magnolias, as well as the project called the “1000 dry forest orchids” are the centerpieces of the current research. The world-famous Royal Kew Gardens of England are collaborating in several of these projects. One special species of flowering tree, the green ebony, is of unique interest of the English experts.
One of the most important parts of the Botanical Garden is its seed bank that conserves seeds of over 350 unique endemic flora, including mahogany and rare palm species. The garden is open to the public and offers guided tours and even a train ride around the facility. One of the best places to visit for a family outing.
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El Caribe
19 August 2024