Curator: Dr. Zoltán Kereszty, e-mail: kereszty@botanika.botanika.hu;
assistant: Pál Zsilinszky, e-mail: pali@botanika.botanika.hu

On this area comprising one and a half hectares, the richest open - air systematic plant collection of Hungary is presented, containing nearly three thousand flowering plant species and varieties originating from all parts of the World.

 

This collection (see map) has been designed and created in 1954 by the one - time director of the botanical garden, Dr. Miklós Ujvárosi with outstanding professionate skill; the maintenance and development of the collection has been his labour of love over a period of nearly three decades. His projects were realized by relying on the new plant system based on historical development, elaborated by the academician Rezső Soó, a Kossuth - prize laureate, head of Department of Plant Systematics of the Eötvös University Budapest. This work, published in 1953, was considered at the time as one of the most up -to - date in its kind throughout the world (see in detail).

While utilizing the results of Busch and Tahtadjan, professor Soó developed a system of vertical structure with six series arranged in a way that the nearly 90 plant families (see in detail), grouped in separate beds, show simultaneously their mutual relationship and phylogenetic development. Here on the hilltop, we find the most ancient flowering plants; from here, in radial direction, follow the historically more recent families, while the latter and most developed families of regressed flowers are placed around the final part of the series. The individual branches are separated by avenues leading from the hilltop, showing the parallel directions of development.

The collection's primary aim is to show herbaceous plants; however, in order to avoid monotony and possibly to relieve summer heat, it became necessary to diversify the panorama with the help of smaller shrubs and climbing plants. Owing to considerable summer temperatures, repeated irrigation is necessary. On these occasions, we must request our visitor's kind consideration.

New plants are procured primarily through our regular seed exchange service, maintained with seven hundred institutions and private gardens in Hungary and abroad. In order to ensure the seeds of Hungarian wild -growing flora, we travel 6 - 8 times annually to the various regions of the country; we also have a minor possibility to obtain living plant material. Most seeds are raised by hot - bed sowing and planted out as seedlings; a smaller part (mainly the annual plants] are propagated by field sowing.