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They contain individual trees of special historic interest, 
such as the first Jacaranda to he grown in the State, 
rarities such as the newly discovered orchid Vanda 
whiteana, uncommon trees such as Brownea grandiceps, 
the .Rose of Venezuela, and plants of special geographical 
interest such as Rhododendron lochiae, the only Rhodo- 
dendron native to Australia, besides such plants as 
Bauhinia, Azalea, and flowering annuals that add to the 
chann of Brisbane suburban homes. There are curiosi- 
ties such as Kigelia, the Sausage Tree, Hura, the Sand- 
box Tree, and the various species of banyan : fruit trees 
such as wampce, jakfruit and chicle; medicinal plants 
such as Strychnos nux-vomica , the Strychnine Tree, and 
Myroxylon peveirae, the Balsam of Peru; the ferns, 
orchids, bromeliads and Gesneriaceae of the glasshouses; 
oaks and pines growing with logwood and tropical palms. 
The collection is far from complete. An area ten times 
the size could not accommodate the species that could be 
grown in these latitudes. The gardens do, however, 
contain a rich and varied assortment that is not to be 
found in any other garden in Australia. As a future 
development, bearing in mind the limited area and the 
consequent restrictions on tree-planting, a considerable 
expansion could be made in the growing of our smaller 
native ornamentals. Queensland is extraordinarily rich 
in beautiful species and a native fern collection from 
tree ferns down to the pygmy species could be. assembled 
and brought to perfection in a very short time, and 
would constitute a unique feature in Australian botanic 
gardens. 
The present Gardens are the botanical centre of 
Queensland, as apart from their living plants they 
contain the Queensland Herbarium and the Botanic 
Museum. But they are in Brisbane and must necessarily 
be of more immediate interest to the people of Brisbane 
It is, therefore, perhaps reasonable that they should be a 
City Council establishment. The logical alternative, if 
they were a State responsibility, would be the State main - 
tenance of similar gardens in other parts of Queensland. 
Botanic gardens of varying size and quality are main- 
tained hv City Councils in other Queensland cities, and 
notable examples are those of Rockhampton and 
Maekay. In Brisbane, some of the parks are of par- 
ticular interest, but they are for the most part for public 
recreational purposes and have no botanical objective. 
An exception is the Sherwood Arboretum, established 
27 years ago as a collection of native Australian trees, 
neglected for many years and planted with occasional 
