Sakhalin Botanical Garden

Sakhalin Botanical Garden of the Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences was founded in 1991 on the initiative of known Russian biologists Academician A.V. Zhirmunsky and Professor S. S. Kharkevich. It is situated in the southeastern Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in front of Susunai Mountain Range and occupies the area of 40 hectares.   View on Botanical Garden in autumn

View on Botanical Garden in winter   In the botanical garden's territory there are 394 species of naturally grown vascular plants (arbores, frutices, lianas, herbs and ferns), 40 species of lihens and several dozen species of mosses and fungi.   Main directions of scientific activity of Sakhalin Botanical Garden are the study and preservation of natural flora of the southern regions of the Russian Far East, first of all of Sakhalin and Kuril Islands, as well as acculturation of new ornamental, food, medicinal and scented plants.

Nowadays the garden's collections of live plants total to 2,000 species of arbores, frutices and lianas, belonging to 166 genera of 62 familiae, as well as several hundred species and varieties of herbaceous plants.

Fritillaria imperialis   The garden's employees have surveyed many areas of Sakhalin, carried out botanical works along the main pipeline construction route of the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas production project, published the lists of vascular plants and lichens of Poronaysky and Lazovsky State Reserves, lichens of Bryansky Les, Kurilsky and Yugansky reserves and of many natural monuments. The lists of rare and endangered plants have been prepared for the Red Book of Sakhalin region.

Cherry tree Cerasus vulgaris   Sakhalin botanical garden соoperates with more than 160 botanical organizations from 52 countries worldwide. The garden's territory is the home of more than 70 species of birds, 15 of them nest here permanently or periodically, 21 species of mammals, 3 species of amphibians, 2 species of reptiles, the streams breed 6 species of fishes.

Director Alexander Taran near the perennials' exposition   The Garden accomplishes some projects on seed and vegetative propagation of rare and endangered species of the Sakhalin Island such as Miyakea heterophylla (Ranunculaceae), Primula tatewakii, Primula sakhalinensis, Gentianella sugawari, Tilia maximowiczii, Rhododendron adamsii, Rh. chonoskii, etc.

Goldmohn Escholcia californica   Besides scientific research and activities on environment protection, Sakhalin Botanical Garden conducts intense educational projects such as excursions for students and foreign tourists, school contests on science and environmental issues, participates in preparation of environmental impact statements, consults local residents on gardening, outdoor and indoor landscaping, etc.

The Botanical Garden Herbarium is one of the largest herbaria in the Russian Far East and totals about 50,000 specimens of vascular plants and over 70,000 samples of lichens.