Location and area
The Phytogeographic Section is located in the north-western part of the Botanical Garden, occupying an area of 11.57 ha. The land has a plateau area, and a steep slope, subjected to active landslides. The plants in the section have been grouped according to their place of origin and are arranged according to the natural and mixed landscape styles.
Description
The entrance to the section is located near a rockery (600 m²) with succulent plants from the Mexican deserts, most of which included in the Agavaceae,
Cactaceae and Crassulaceae families. These plants, with succulent stems or leaves, are sheltered indoors over the winter.
In front of that rockery, a "solar clock" presents the hours marked by 12 sandstone spheres, brought from the Feleac Hill. In the middle of the "clock" a larger sphere, symbolizing the terrestrial globe, sends its shadow, at each hour of the day, on the smaller sphere corresponding to the respective hour. In the vicinity of the rockery, the bright, diverse colors of plants from Central and South America and Africa, cultivated in our climate as annual plants, are highlighted: Ageratum (the floss flower), Cosmos, Eschscholtzia (the California poppy), Portulaca, Mirabilis, Agastache, Zinnia, Tagetes, Argemone, Cuphea, Gomphrena, Gazania, Dimorphoteca, etc.
The species of Central and Northern European flora are representatives of either boreal coniferous forests (pine, spruce, larch, and juniper) or deciduous forests (beech, oak, hornbeam, and hazel). Along with several herbaceous species, the trees are grouped near a rock formation called Alpinarium. This ecological environment is built with limestone rocks, on a sloping terrain, with an area of 2000 m² and shelters plants from the mountains of Europe, including: Achillea ptarmica, Dianthus barbatus, Alyssum argenteum, Scutellaria alpina, Ribes alpinum, Spiraea chamaedryfolia, and also a rare species, Horminum pyrenaicum.
Some elements of the Ponto-Pannonic steppe are grouped on an arid and sunny terrain, on an area of about 2 ha covered with natural vegetation, preserved and conserved since the beginning of the Botanic Garden's organization: Prunus fruticosa (the steppe cherry), Adonis vernalis (the pheasant's eye), Pulsatilla pratensis subsp. nigricans (the small pasque flower), Festuca valesiaca, Koeleria macrantha, etc.
Among the plant species characteristic for the Turkestan flora, Ulmus pumila var. arborea (the Turkestan elm), Exocorda korolkovii, Fraxinus sogdiana, Rhamnus dolycophylla, Lonicera korolkovii, etc., grow well in this area.
From the Balkan flora, Cotinus coggygria, Forsythia europaea, Laburnum anagyroides, Corylus colurna, Acanthus balcanicus, Hypericum olympicum, Salvia eichleriana, Symphyandra hofmannii, Petteria ramentacea and Periploca graeca grow well in this section. In their vicinity, some plants specific to the Mediterranean basin are cultivated: Buxus sempervirens (the boxwood), Pyracantha coccinea, Platanus acerifolia, Ruta graveolens. Some Mediterranean elements are also found in the native flora from the south and southwestern regions of our country: Acer monspessulanum (the Banat maple), Carpinus orientalis (the Oriental hornbeam), Castanea sativa (the edible chestnut), etc.
Going down on the Vineyard Alley, on the left side, there are cultivated plants characteristic for Siberia: Caragana arborescens, Acer tataricum var. ginnala, Juglans mandshurica, Menispermum dauricum, Berberis amurensis, etc.
The representatives of the Caucasus flora are grouped according to their origin: Caucasian forests Picea orientalis, Celtis caucasica, Pterocaria fraxinifolia, Acer opalus, Tilia rubra), elements from the Colchis region (Andrachne colchica, Dioscorea caucasica, Staphylea colchica) and plants from the Caucasus Mountains (Arabis caucasica, Dianthus armeria, Doronicum orientale, Erigeron caucasicus, Erysimum perofskianum, Paeonia mlokosewitschii, Scutellaria orientalis, Sedum spurium, Silene schafta, etc.).
The Far East subsection is organized on a slope with a western orientation. The presence of a small stream completes the landscape, the water banks being planted with bamboo (Phyllostachys viridi-galucescens) and willows (Salix babylonica and Salix matsudana 'Tortuosa'). Among the most special plants, we mention: Akebia quinata, Broussonetia papyrifera, Tetradium danielli (the honey tree), Paulownia imperialis, Aralia chinensis, Clerodendrum trichotomum, Citrus trifoliata, Koelreuteria paniculata, Cotoneaster, Chaenomeles japonica, etc. The herbaceous flora is represented by species of Hemmerocalis, Hosta, Perilla frutescens, Sisymbrium luteum etc.
The flora of North America is represented by woody species (trees and shrubs): Juniperus virginiana, Pinus strobus, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Thuja plicata, Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum, Carpinus caroliniana, Maclura pomifera, Liriodendron tulipifera, Juglans nigra, Cladrastis kentukea, Amorpha fruticosa, Philadelphus inodorus. Herbaceous plants are numerous, most of them ornamental: Desmanthus illinoensis, Aster sp., Coreopsis sp., Gaillardia aristata, Monarda sp., Oenothera macrocarpa, Penstemon sp., Phlox divaricata, Rudbeckia sp., Ipomoea sp. etc.
Thematic
Walking through the Phytogeographic section, the visitor forms a general image of how does it look the flora of different geographical regions around the globe.
