园区概况
南京中山植物园坐落于南京市东郊国家级钟山风景区内，背倚苍翠巍峨的钟山，面临波光潋滟的前湖，傍依古老壮观的明城墙，遥对闻名中外的中山陵。园区占地面积186公顷，园中气候温和、植被茂盛，融山、水、城、林于一体，秀色天成，风光旖旎。南京中山植物园始建于1929年，是我国第一座国立植物园，前身为”总理陵园纪念植物园”。现为江苏省中国科学院植物研究所，是我国中、北亚热带植物研究中心，保存植物12000余种、建成专类园27个，是我国四大植物园之一、国家5A级旅游景区、国家级科普教育基地。
历史沿革
1929年，中山陵园建成之际，在中山先生陵墓附近设立”总理陵园纪念植物园”，是为南京中山植物园前身，也是中国第一座国立植物园。1954年，中国科学院接管并重建。1960年发展成立中国科学院南京植物研究所，开始了植物园与植物研究所”园、所一体”的体制。1970年划归江苏省领导。1993年起实行江苏省与中国科学院的双重领导。植物园是我国最早加入”国际自然和自然资源保护联盟（IUCN）”的植物园，为IUCN濒危植物委员会成员，并成功主办了亚洲史上第一次国际植物园学术讨论会、第十一届国际植物园协会大会。
国际交流与合作
自二十世纪八十年代以来，植物园积极开展国际交流与合作，与世界上60多个国家600多个单位保持着种苗、标本和图书资料的交换关系。1980年与美国密苏里植物园建立了我国第一对国际友好姊妹植物园，该园时任主任Peter Raven博士被聘为南京中山植物园名誉主任。此外，还与加拿大哥伦比亚大学植物园、日本东京大学植物园等建立了友好往来关系。
南北两园格局
植物园分南北两园，各具特色。北园是老园区，为中国中、北亚热带植物研究中心，建有植物系统分类园、蔷薇园、球宿根花卉园、药用植物园、盆景园、树木园、松柏园等10余个专类园，设有观赏植物研究中心、药用植物研究中心、经济植物研究中心，以及华东地区最大的植物标本馆。南园（植物博览园）于1999年起开始建设，2007年国庆对外开放，收集活植物共3000余种。
植物标本馆与科研成就
植物标本馆成立于1929年，是华东地区最大的植物标本馆，在全国排名第四。馆藏植物标本80余万份。植物园先后有18位科学家当选中科院院士，主持完成的成果荣获国家自然科学一等奖3项。经过近百年发展，植物园已成为我国中、北亚热带植物多样性保护、迁地保护与可持续利用的重要研究基地。
Overview
Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden is located in the national 5A-level Purple Mountain Scenic Area in the eastern suburb of Nanjing, with Purple Mountain to its back, Qianhu Lake in front, the Ming Dynasty City Wall alongside, and the world-famous Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum across. Covering 186 hectares with a mild climate and lush vegetation, the garden integrates mountains, water, city, and forests into a picturesque landscape. Established in 1929 as the “Memorial Botanical Garden of the Mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen,” it is China’s first national botanical garden. Now under the Institute of Botany of Jiangsu Province and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, it serves as a research center for central and northern subtropical plants in China, housing over 12,000 plant species and 27 specialized gardens. It is one of China’s four major botanical gardens, a national 5A-level tourist scenic spot, and a national science education base.
Historical Development
In 1929, upon completion of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum complex, the “Memorial Botanical Garden of the Mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen” was established near the mausoleum—marking the founding of Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden and making it China’s first national botanical garden. In 1954, the Chinese Academy of Sciences took over and rebuilt the garden. In 1960, the Institute of Botany of Nanjing was established, initiating the “integrated garden and institute” management system. In 1970, it came under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province. Since 1993, it has been jointly administered by Jiangsu Province and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The garden was among the first botanical gardens in China to join the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and serves as a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Botanic Gardens Conservation International.
International Exchange and Cooperation
Since the 1980s, the garden has actively engaged in international exchange and cooperation, maintaining seed, specimen, and literature exchange relationships with over 600 institutions in more than 60 countries. In 1980, it established China’s first international sister botanical garden relationship with the Missouri Botanical Garden. Dr. Peter Raven, then director of the Missouri Botanical Garden and a foreign academician of both CAS and the US National Academy of Sciences, was appointed as honorary director of Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden. Additionally, the garden has established friendly relationships with the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden in Canada and the Botanical Gardens of the University of Tokyo in Japan.
South and North Garden Complex
The garden comprises the North Garden and South Garden, each with distinct characteristics. The North Garden is the older section, serving as the research center for central and northern subtropical plants in China. It features over 10 specialized gardens including the Plant Systematics Garden, Rose Garden, Bulb and Corm Garden, Medicinal Plant Garden, Bonsai Garden, Arboretum, and Conifer Garden. It also houses research centers for ornamental plants, medicinal plants, and economic plants, along with the largest plant herbarium in East China. The South Garden (Plant Exposition Park) began construction in 1999 and opened to the public on National Day in 2007, housing more than 3,000 living plant species.
Herbarium and Research Achievements
Established in 1929, the herbarium is the largest in East China and ranks fourth nationally, housing over 800,000 plant specimens. The garden has produced 18 academicians who have won three first prizes of the National Natural Science Award of China. Through nearly a century of development, the garden has become an important research base for the conservation, ex-situ protection, and sustainable utilization of plant diversity in central and northern subtropical China.
