A Building in the Botanical Gardens in Palermo, March 2005

The Orto Botanico di Palermo (Palermo Botanical Garden) is both a botanic garden and a research and educational institution forming part of, and managed by, the Department of Botany within the University of Palermo. It lies in the city of Palermo (38°06′44″N, 13°11′15″E) at 10 m above sea-level. It covers about 30 acres on top of red soil that has evolved on a calcareous tufaceous substratum.

The earliest beginnings of the gardens go back to 1779, when the Accademia dei Regi Studi created the chair of "Botany and medicinal properties". They were allocated a modest plot of land to develop a small botancial garden dedicated to the cultivation of plants with medicinal benefits for the twin objectives of general learning and improving public health.

This initial garden allotment soon proved insufficient for the purposes for which it was intended and in 1786 it was decided to move to the present site, right next to the Piano di Sant'Erasmo, best remembered for the unfortunate events that occurred during the Spanish Inquisition. In 1789 construction of the main part of the admininstrative buildings of the garden commenced in a neoclassical style. It is constructed with a central building, the Gymnasium, and two side buildings, the Tepidariumand the Calidarium, designed by the Frenchman Léon Dufourny, who had also designed a part of the oldest section of garden, right next to the Gymnasium. It consists of a rectangular lay out, divided into 4 quadrangles, within which the species are categorised according to Carolus Linnaeus' system of classification. The new garden was opened in 1795; in the ensuing years it was improved, with the Acquarium (1798), a great pool hosting numerous species of acquatic plants, and the serra Maria Carolina (or Maria Carolina glasshouse), completed in 1823. The huge Ficus magnolioides, which is a symbol and a well known attraction of the modern garden, was imported from Norfolk Island (Australia), in 1845. Today's acreage, of some 10 hectares, was reached following successive extensions in 1892. In 1913 the Giardino coloniale (Colonial garden) was developed alongside the botanic gardens, but now no longer exists. The gardens have been managed by the Department of Botany since 1985.

Gymnasium, Calidarium and Tepidarium

The central neo-classical building, known as the Gymnasium, is located near the main entrance gate. Originally it was the main office of the Schola Regia Botanice (school of botany), the Herbarium, the library and the director's office.

Two smaller buildings are located either side of the Gymnasium in perfect symmetry. To this day they are called the Calidarium and the Tepidarium because originally they housed plants from warm and temperate zones respectively (caldo meaning "hot" in Italian).

Linneian section

The is the oldest section of the gardens, laid out in a rectangular shape and divided into four quadrangles, the "quatrains" (or quartini). Each quatrain is further divided into flowerbeds, within which the plants were originally organised along the lines of the linneian system of classification. The design of this section has gradually changed over time to display certain specimens at the expense of others that are now gone. At the centre of this section, is the particularly evocative “cross”, the small plaza that results from the intersection of the central axis (the Viale centrale) with the tree lined avenue of palms (the Viale delle palme).

The Aquarium, a large round pool divided into 24 sections, is located at the end of the central avenue. The design consists of three concentric rings which are divided into 8 wedges, each being a home to a variety of acqautic flora.

The "lagoon" is located a few metres further down from the Acquariam and is another ample water feature in which the plants are arranged informally. Other smaller ponds are located in the quatrains of the Linneian section.

Over time the gardens have benefitted from the development of a series of greenhouses that currently comprise a surface area of some 1,300 mq.