Physic garden facts for kids
A physic garden is a special type of garden where people grow medicinal plants. These plants were used to make medicines. Think of them as early plant pharmacies! Over time, these gardens grew into the botanical gardens we know today.
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The Story of Physic Gardens
Long ago, even before modern botanical gardens existed, there were physic gardens. Many of these were found in monasteries around the year 800. These old gardens often had different parts. One important section was for medicinal plants. It was called the herbularis or hortus medicus in Latin.
Early Academic Gardens
In 1447, Pope Nicholas V created a garden at the Vatican. It was filled with medicinal plants. This garden helped teach people about botany, which is the study of plants. It was an early example of an academic garden. Later, in the 1540s, the first official university botanical gardens were started. These were in Padua and Pisa, Italy. Many doctors and medical experts helped create these early gardens. They understood how important plants were for health.
Famous Physic Gardens and Their Founders
Many important people helped set up physic gardens across Europe:
- The naturalist William Turner started physic gardens in places like Cologne, Germany, and Wells, England. He also suggested that Cambridge University should have one.
- In 1597, herbalist John Gerard wrote a famous book called Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes. This book was like a detailed list of plants found in physic gardens. It listed 1,030 plants from his own physic garden in Holborn, London. This was the first book of its kind ever printed.
Important Gardens in England
- The Oxford Botanic Garden was founded in 1632. Henry Danvers, 1st Earl of Danby started it, and Jacob Bobart the Elder was its first manager.
- The Chelsea Physic Garden in London began in 1673. It was started by the Apothecaries, who were like pharmacists. Philip Miller, who wrote The Gardeners Dictionary, was a very famous director of this garden.
- By 1676, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland also had a "Keeper of the Physic Garden." This person was usually the Professor of Botany.
Some of the Oldest Physic Gardens
Here are some of the earliest known physic gardens:
- 1334: Venice, Italy, and Salerno, Italy (founded by Matthaeus Silvaticus)
- 1544: Pisa, Italy (started by Cosimo de' Medici, with Luca Ghini as its first director)
- 1545: Padua, Italy
- 1547: Bologna, Italy (founded by Ghini)
- 1560: Zurich, Switzerland (founded by Conrad Gessner)
- 1570: Paris, France
- 1577: Leyden, Netherlands (managed by Carolus Clusius)
- 1580: Leipzig, Germany
- 1593: Montpelier, France (started by King Henry IV)
See also
In Spanish: Jardín de simples para niños
