Hortus Botanicus is a botanical garden in the Plantage district of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is one of the world's oldest botanical gardens.
History
alt=A bronze medallion. Pictures of front and back. The front shows Hippocrates. The back shows the Amsterdam coat of arms.|left|thumb|One of the tokens medics had to use to gain access to the garden in the eighteenth century.
Amsterdam City Council founded the Hortus Botanicus (initially named the Hortus Medicus) in 1638 to serve as a herbal garden for doctors and apothecaries, as botanical extracts were the primary treatment for illnesses during this time period. Physicians and pharmacists received their training and took exams there.
The garden's initial collection was amassed during the 17th century through plants and seeds brought back by traders from the Dutch East India Company for use as medicines and potential commercial possibilities. A single coffee plant in Hortus collection served as the parent for the entire coffee culture in Central and South America.
Likewise, two small potted oil palms that were brought back from Mauritius had produced seeds which were propagated throughout all of Southeast Asia, becoming a major source of revenue in the Dutch East Indies and present-day Indonesia.
Hugo de Vries became the director of the Hortus Botanicus between 1885 and 1918, bringing international attention to the garden.