园区概况
湖南省森林植物园（又称天际岭国家森林公园、长沙植物园）位居省会城市长沙，于1985年经湖南省人民政府批准成立，隶属湖南省林业厅，是集科学研究、物种保存、科普教育、生态旅游于一体的公益性科研事业单位。全园占地面积140公顷（约2100亩），森林覆盖率高达90%。1992年被批准为天际岭国家森林公园，1994年经原国家林业部批准为湖南省野生动物救护繁殖中心。2012年被评为国家4A级旅游景区，2019年12月宣布自2020年1月1日起免费向公众开放。
迁地保护与植物资源
湖南省森林植物园通过基因库、专类园和生态林等形式实施植物物种迁地保育，共成功收集保育包括珙桐、银杉等珍稀植物在内的208科900属3200种植物。其中包括被誉为”大熊猫”的植物活化石银杉、”鸽子树”珙桐、”恐龙食物”桫椤以及南方红豆杉、长果安息香等珍稀濒危树种118种。园内建有木兰科物种基因库，保育木兰科植物78种，是中亚热带保存数量最多的珍稀濒危植物保育基地。收容、救治、驯养了野生动物112种，包括银杉、珙桐、黄腹角雉等国家一级保护植物和动物，并建有全世界最大的国家一级保护动物黄腹角雉种群繁殖基地，现有黄腹角雉种群百余只。
专类园区与景观特色
根据不同植物的特点，园内已建成樱花园、木兰园、荫生植物珍稀植物园、杜鹃园、竹园、茶花园、桂花园、彩叶植物园、药用植物园、世界名花名树园等10余个植物专类园。樱花园建于1987年，面积200亩，收集展示近70个品种3000多株樱花，其中1985年日本滋贺县赠送的2000株染井吉野樱是中日人民友好的见证。国家杜鹃园建于2008年，面积450亩，重点收集保存杜鹃属植物珍稀种类2000份，150种300个品种。茶花园位于樱花湖畔，建于1992年，面积约45亩，有30多个茶花品种约700株。世界名花园面积75亩，其中牡丹园有9大色系、42个品种、4000株，是为中国地栽观赏牡丹最南端的地方。
科研科普与国际交流
园内建有湖南省最早、达到国内先进水平的植物组培中心，是集科研、生产、开发应用于一体的研究科室。建有全国首家”森林和湿地生物多样性保护宣传教育中心”，该中心由湖南省林业厅与世界自然基金会（WWF）、芬兰森林和公园局合作建设，于1999年9月免费对外开放。湖南省森林植物园先后与国内外的20多家国家公园、植物园建立了长期友好的协作关系，截止2015年先后接待了40多个国家的800多名外宾来园参观考察和学术交流。38项科研项目获部省级科技进步奖，公开发表学术论文200余篇，专著10本。2019年8月被国家林业和草原局表彰为”保护森林和野生动植物资源先进集体”，2021年2月被中国林学会命名为全国林草科普基地。
官方网站：http://www.hnfbg.cn/
Overview
Hunan Provincial Botanical Garden (also known as Tiangiling National Forest Park and Changsha Botanical Garden) is located in Changsha, the capital city of Hunan Province. Established in 1985 under the Hunan Provincial People’s Government and affiliated with the Hunan Provincial Forestry Department, it serves as a non-profit scientific research institution integrating scientific research, species conservation, science education, and ecological tourism. The garden covers an area of 140 hectares with a forest coverage rate of 90%. In 1992, it was designated as Tiangiling National Forest Park, and in 1994, it was approved as Hunan Provincial Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center by the former Ministry of Forestry. It was rated as a national 4A-level tourist scenic spot in 2012, and was opened to the public free of charge from January 1, 2020.
Ex-situ Conservation and Plant Resources
Hunan Provincial Botanical Garden implements plant species ex-situ conservation through gene banks, specialized gardens, and ecological forests, successfully conserving 3,200 plant species from 208 families and 900 genera, including rare and endangered plants such as Davidia involucrata, Cathaya argyrophylla, Alsophila spinulosa, and Changiostyrax dolichocarpa. The garden has established a Magnoliaceae species gene bank, conserving 78 Magnoliaceae species, making it the largest rare and endangered plant conservation base in the Central Subtropics. It houses 112 wildlife species including national first-class protected plants and animals such as Cathaya argyrophylla, Davidia involucrata, and Tragopan temminckii, and has built the world’s largest breeding base for Tragopan temminckii with a population of over 100 individuals.
Specialized Gardens and Landscape Features
The garden has established more than 10 specialized plant gardens including Cherry Garden, Magnolia Garden, Shade Plant Garden, Rhododendron Garden, Bamboo Garden, Camellia Garden, Osmanthus Garden, Colored Leaf Plant Garden, Medicinal Plant Garden, and World Famous Flowers and Trees Garden. The Cherry Garden, established in 1987 with an area of 200 mu, showcases nearly 70 varieties with over 3,000 cherry trees, including 2,000 Yoshino cherry trees gifted by Shiga Prefecture, Japan in 1985, symbolizing the friendship between Chinese and Japanese people. The National Rhododendron Garden, established in 2008 with an area of 450 mu, focuses on conserving 2,000 copies of rare and valuable Rhododendron species, 150 species and 300 varieties. The Camellia Garden, located by the Cherry Lake and established in 1992 with an area of about 45 mu, houses over 30 camellia varieties with approximately 700 plants. The World Famous Flowers Garden covers an area of 75 mu, with a Peony Garden containing 9 color series, 42 varieties, and 4,000 peony plants, representing the southernmost location for outdoor peony cultivation in China.
Scientific Research, Education and International Exchange
The garden houses Hunan Province’s earliest plant tissue culture center, reaching advanced domestic levels, integrating scientific research, production, and application. It established the nation’s first “Forest and Wetland Biodiversity Conservation Education and Publicity Center,” built in cooperation with the Hunan Provincial Forestry Department, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and Finnish Forest and Park Agency, which opened to the public free of charge in September 1999. Hunan Provincial Botanical Garden has established long-term friendly cooperative relationships with over 20 domestic and foreign national parks and botanical gardens, having received more than 800 foreign guests from over 40 countries for visits, inspections, and academic exchanges by 2015. Thirty-eight research projects have won provincial and ministerial-level science and technology progress awards, with over 200 academic papers and 10 monographs published. In August 2019, it was commended by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration as an “Advanced Collective for Forest and Wild Animal Resource Conservation,” and was named a National Forest and Grassland Science Education Base by the Chinese Society of Forestry in February 2021.
