Kebon Raya Purwodadi:
The People's Garden

A few kilometers north of Lawang, on the road to Surabaya, we turned into the expansive 85-hectare botanical gardens and were immediately enveloped by its peace and serenity, a salve for city dwellers. Our original intention was just to shop for houseplants, but we ended up spending the whole afternoon in this beautifully landscaped enclave and came away with new-found respect and appreciation for the world of plants.

At 300 meters above sea level, with an average annual rainfall of 2,366 millimeters, living organisms do not have any trouble at all prospering in the limey soil of this sprawling live museum of dry habitats: a total of 11,429 specimens representing 3,000 plant species, including many that are endangered and seldom seen outside of Indonesia. Among the highlight is an Arecaceae collection of perennial lianas, shrubs and 80 different kinds of palms; 114 bamboo species; 15 species of rose apple (Syzygium); 80 species of fern; a legume, pea and bean family collection; 300 species of medicinal herbs.

April 21, 2015