These beautiful gardens, which were once described as “one of the marvels of the world”, and had for a long time been ‘ranked third among all the gardens that could be admired over the surface of the globe’ had successively been known as ‘Jardin de Mon Plaisir’, ‘Jardin des Plantes’, ‘Le Jardin National de l’Ile de France’, ‘Jardin Royal’, ‘Jardin Botanique des Pamplemousses’, ‘The Royal Botanical Gardens of Pamplemousses’, ‘The Royal Botanic Gardens, Pamplemousses’. It is known as “Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanic Garden” since the 17th September 1988.

The gardens which now cover about 62040 acres in extent started on a plot of land of an extent of 100 gaulettes (1500 French square feet) which was conceded on 08th June 1729, to a colon under the name of P. Barmont or P. Barmond. On 3rd January 1735, the latter and his wife, Louise Christine, sold the property to Mr. Claude N. de Maupin, ‘Le commandant pour le Roy et la Compagnie des Indes’. In subsequent years, it changed hands frequently.The owners of the land which was destined to be described by Mr. Leclercq, a traveller who visited the gardens in May 1893 as follows: “Si l’Ile Maurice est le paradis de l’hémisphère austral, à part la fièvre et les cyclones, on peut dire que le jardin des Pamplemousses est le paradis de l’Ile Maurice”, in his book ‘Au Pays de Paul et Virginie’.

By 1805, the Public Domain was about 121000 acres. From this, two portions of land of a total extent of 93577 acres were given away: the first portion of 51700 acres was alienated to Mr. John Newman, the then Director of the Gardens and the second portion of 41877 acres was given, on the 26th March 1842, to the widow and the heirs of Adrien d’Épinay. The gardens together with the compound of the residence and the surrounding land close to ‘Mon Plaisir’ were of an extent of 117525 acres. On 16th September 1868, 4134 acres of land which had been conceded to Mr. L.G. Bernard on the 07th March 1766, was purchased and annexed.

According to a plan drawn up by Mr. James Duncan, the Government Surveyor, in 1868, the gardens themselves were of an extent of 47564 acres; to this must be added the 4136 acres purchased from Mr. Newman. The old ‘Mare de Mon Plaisir’ of an extent of 10340 acres was included in the gardens: subsequently, a portion of about 31020 acres of land adjacent to the residence was also added, thus bringing the total extent to 93060 acres. Of this, only 62040 acres from part of the gardens now, the rest being utilised as an experimental station.
The Royal Botanic Gardens of Pamplemousses owe their modest origin to one of the first and most famous French Governors of Mauritius, François Mahé de Labourdonnais. The island was then known under the name ‘Ile de France’. In 1735, Labourdonnais bought Mon Plaisir and created a vegetable garden to the left of the present main entrance, next to his residence. The slaves had their huts on the right. Unfortunately, no trace of these buildings now remains.

The vegetable garden was intended to supply vegetables to his household, to the budding town of Port Louis and to the ships calling at the island. In the event that the vegetable garden, the Labourdonnais country house and so on are accepted as the beginning of the present garden, then it is the oldest botanical garden in the former British territories. If, however, its origin is thought to be around the year 1768, that is, when Pierre Poivre took over control, then it holds its fame as one of the oldest and the most remarkable gardens in the tropical countries in so far as its botanical specimens are concerned.

The garden was also used as a nursery for the planting and acclimatization of plants of botanical and economic importance that were introduced mostly from Europe and the East, and chief among the first introductions was cassava (manioc), which Labourdonnais brought from Brazil to provide food for the slaves.

In 1739, the French East India Company took possession of Mon Plaisir and shortly afterwards almost the entire estate was planted with mulberry trees in the hope of establishing a silkworm industry. Subsequently, the mulberries were replaced by a plantation of ‘Bois Noir’ (Albizia Lebbeck), the charcoal of which could be used in the manufacture of gunpowder. The French had taken possession of the island as a naval base and the administration itself was geared towards taking adequate precautions against the possibility of the island being involved in a war.

When Davis was appointed Governor in 1746, the built and resided at ‘Le réduit’ and deserted the residence at Mon Plaisir, so that from 1746 until 1753, Mon Plaisir was virtually abandoned. Later, came Fusée-Aublet, a horticulturist who was sent here to establish a drug house and to create a botanical garden; he lived first at Mon Plaisir but was unhappy and transferred all his plant collections to Réduit. He was at logger-heads with M. Le Poivre, as he used to call Pierre Poivre, about the identification of nutmeg plants (Myristica Frangrans).

After two visits to the Ile de France, Pierre Poivre was appointed Intendant of the island in 1767. The following year, he occupied Mon Plaisir in his official capacity and in 1770 he took the opportunity to purchase the estate for himself. He was the creator of the present gardens, since in addition to a nursery for the acclimatisation of the precious nutmeg and clove plants, he also gathered at Mon Plaisir numerous plants from other lands together with as many indigenous plant species as he could. It is thanks to Poivre and his worthy successor Nicolas Céré who devoted his life and most of his personal fortune to create the gardens, that Pamplemousses became well known to leading naturalists and acquired the worldwide fame it has since retained.

Between 1810 and 1849, the Gardens went through an unsettled and difficult period. In 1849, James Duncan was appointed Director of the much neglected gardens. He restored the abandoned gardens to something of their former beauty and introduced numerous species of plants: to him is due the credit for many of the palms now represented in the gardens, including the Royal Palm which adorns in majestic splendor two of the finest avenues.

By the middle of the last century, the Sugar Industry had been fast developing, and the gardens provided a suitable site for the introduction of numerous new cane varieties from other parts of the world. Dr. Charles Meller, one of the Directors of the garden was sent to Australia and New Zealand to bring new varieties of canes; unfortunately, he died in the course of the journey.

The Director of the Botanic Gardens became in due course also the Conservator of forests. The gardens stayed under his care until the creation of the Department of Agriculture in 1913. The latter then took over the responsibility of the gardens and they have remained under its control ever since.

A quick visit...

For a visitor who may not have adequate leisure and wishes only to see some of the more important features of the gardens at all costs and without attention to the details, the following tour is suggested:

1. The Entrance Gate - splendid and beautifully modeled main wrought iron entrance gate was a gift from François Liénard de la Mivoie. It is alleged that it gained the first prize at the International Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in England in 1862. On each of the pillars is found the Coat of Arms with a lion and a crown on top.

2. Poivre Avenue with Royal Palms - The stately, pillar-like Royal Palms that are found on either side of the avenue are of two species Roystonea Regia and Roystonea Oleracea. It will be interesting to compare them. As a general rule, R. Regia has a swollen trunk on the upper portion whereas R. Oleracea is columnar throughout.

3. Talipot Palms - A row of very large palms with huge palmate leaves, about 3m 50cms, in diameter is the Talipot Palm (Corypha Umbraculifera meaning bearing its flowers at the top in the shape of an umbrella). They bear flowers only after they are 40 to years old; not a century as is popularly believed. The remarkable bunch of flowers with over 50 million tiny blossoms that are produced may attain a height of 6 meters above the tree. The tree dies after flowering.

4. Monument commemorating the planting of trees by H.R.H. the Duchess of Cornwall and York, later Queen Mary and H.R.H. the Duchess of York, afterwards Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Two ‘Araucaria Heterophylla’ by H.R.H. the Duchesse of Cornwall and York, later H.M. Queen Mary on the 07th August 1901. Two ‘Araucaria Cunninghamii’ by H.R.H. the Duchesse of York afterwards H.M. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, on 2nd June 1927. Facing it, is the Square de la Victoire - 3rd August 1919, which is flanked on either side by two Latania Loddigesii. This Latan has its male and female flowers on different trees. Surprisingly enough, the tree on the right when facing Liénard Column is a female whereas the other one is a male.

5. Liénard Obelisk - Turning left on Labourdonnais Avenue which is flanked with the fairly rare yellow latan (Latania Sp.) from Madagascar, one encounters the Liénard Obelisk. The latter is a graceful white column of marble donated by Liénard and placed in the garden under the patronage of Governor William Stevenson in 1860. On one side of the monument is inscribed this philosophical saying from Bernardin de Saint Pierre: “Le don d’une plante utile me parait plus précieux que la découverte d’une mine d’or et un monument plus durable qu’une pyramide”.

6. Acajou Trees - Turning right once again, one meets Charles Darwin Avenue which is bordered with the largest Swietenia Mahagoni trees found in the country. They produce the beautiful red colored wood which is the genuine ‘Mahagony’ of commerce (Acajou). It is a very attractive avenue tree although its flower is almost insignificant. These trees which are about a century old (planted around 1870) were established before the Hypsiyla borer reached Mauritius. Now, if this plant is planted in the open, it is systematically attacked and its leading shoot damaged by the borer, with the result that the tree becomes much branched and has a greatly reduced value for timber.

7. Water Lily Pond - The rectangular water lily pond has at least three species of Nymphaea with white, pink or blue flowers and the famous great water-lily of the Amazon (Victoria Amazonica). Its huge floating leaves with a raised edge are most remarkable. On two successive days, the flowers open late in the afternoon and remain open until the middle of the following morning. On the first evening, the flowers are creamy white with a delicious fragrance and the second day they turn pink.

8. Lotus Pond - The Sir Henry Barkly Avenue is lined with the betel nut palm (Areca Cathecu). The very slender solitary stems are remarkable. Within orange-coloured fruit is the well known nut which is sliced, mixed with lime paste and wrapped in the leaves of the vine Piper Betel, chewed so widely in Asia. It is in fact a mild stimulant. Next to this is the lovely lotus pond with white and yellow flowers. The Nelumbo (Nelumbo Nucifera) found in this pond is the lotus that is venerated by the Hindus. The root stalk is farinaceous and the seeds are edible. Incidentally, it may be of interest to know that ‘Om Mani Padmi Hum’ which means ‘Hail to the jewel in the lotus’ is a common expression among the Tibetans. The lotus reverenced by the Egyptians and which is in fact their floral emblem is not the fabled lotus but a typical water lily of the genus Nymphaea.

9. Concession Stone - Opposite a Ceara rubber tree (Manihot Glaziouii) with its palmate leaves and flasky, greyish, birch-like bark is a narrow path that leads to a concession stone with the impression of a “Fleur de Lys”, the Royal emblem of France. It is one of the corners of the concession originally granted by the French Government to a settler in the 18th century. The giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus Giganteus) which may attain a height of over 30 meters as a partial windbreak along this edge of the garden.

10. Château de Mon Plaisir - This two-storeyed building which is now called the Château de Mon Plaisir is not the fine house built by Labourdonnais near the main gate. After Governor David deserted Mon Plaisir for Le Réduit in 1746, the Intendant was living in the original house. Governor Labrillane objected to this and at the request of Nicolas de Céré, a building with a flat roof was erected for the Intendant in 1777. Towards the middle of the 19th century, the English constructed the present building. From the Château, one has an attractive view of the Moka Range and the peak of Pieter Both Mountain. The building is now used as an office and is protected by law, having been proclaimed an Ancient Monument. The first floor which was once a herbarium and musuem is now used as a reception room for distinguished guests visiting the garden. Under the verandah in front, there are Thrinax Excelsa plants in concrete pots.

11. Fernery - Between the lines of the Brazilian palms known commonly as “Grugru” palms or “Corozo” palms (Acrocomia Sclerocarpa) which are armed with black spines and are swollen near the top, one arrives at the fernery. Here, there is a collection of ferns, orchids, begonias and anthuriums and though there is nothing particularly spectacular, it is worth visiting. Most of the specimens are fair decorative pot plants. From this point, one takes the path on the left leading towards the storeyed building. This path is lined on both sides with a row of Thrinax Excelsa palms, with slender graceful trunks. The leaves are almost circular and when ripe, the pea sized fruits become white; they are produced on long stalks that extended as far as or beyond the leaves. On the left is a collection of Hibiscus hybrids from Hawaii; some of them have as one parent the Mascarene Hibiscus (Hibiscus Liliiflorus).

12. Old Sugar Mill - The early sugar mills, in Mauritius, were not powered with motors; the vertical cylinders which crushed the canes were rotated by two oxen, though some people keep on relating that they were turned by slaves! In modern mills, there are several sets of horizontal cylinders to ensure that all juice in the canes has been completely expressed. In the old days, however, millers had to be content with a single press. The juice was collected in a pond which in this case is found under the straw roof and from there led into a set of five cauldrons, the first two of which were nor heated. Foreign matter was skimmed off before the juice was cooked to the consistency of caramel. This syrup was then given time to set in the tray nearby where it was shaped in wooden moulds. However simple this mill may appear to be, it satisfied the needs of the time. In the years that followed, steady progress was made in the crushing and processing of cane, all of which has led to the modern highly sophisticated mills.

13. Tortoise Pen - After the mill, one finds the principal tortoise pen with a number of very old tortoises. These are not the Mascarene species, which is now extinct, but come from Aldabra, an island of the Seychelles Archipelago group; they were brought here in 1875 and after, at the request of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences, as it was feared they would become extinct in Aldabra. Against all odds, however, tortoises are still shriving at Aldabra but they need protection. When newly born, they are preyed upon by sea birds and when mature they satisfy many a palate.

14. The ‘Grand Bassin’ - On crossing the wooden bridge seen to the right on Rochon Avenue, one enters a kiosk on one of the islets in the pleasant ‘Grand Bassin’. Originally a marshy pot, it is now a delightful piece of water studded with small islets. The ‘Poule d’Eau’ or ‘Madagascar Moorhen’ inhabits the fringes of this lake.

15. Stag Park - Looking across the ‘palmist bamboo’ on the right, the stag pen comes to view. The Cervus Timorensis was introduced in Mauritius as far back as the 17th century, to be precise, on 8th November 1639. The original stock came from Batavia on board the Dutch ship, Cappel, which was commanded by Adrien Van Der Stel. In winter, this deer is hunted by ‘chasseurs’ and it provides a high quality meat which is relished by all communities. Other indigenous and exotic mammals can be met also in the garden.

16. ‘Paul et Virginie’ Monument - The legendary tomb of Paul and Virginie which is at the beginning of this avenue is, in fact, the pedestal of a statue of the Goddess Flora standing among ‘Palmiste Bamboo’ and ‘Sagoo’. Besides the Juniper and the Indian Walnut trees that are found on the right hand side of this avenue, there are, among others, a few large Mahogany trees with massive stone seats on either side; these were originally copied by Pierre Poivre from an Indian model.

Paul et Virginie is the title of Bernardin de St. Pierre’s famous book in which he relates the story of the idyll between the two fictitious characters. They were brought up as neighbors in a beautiful and unspoiled set up of Isle de France in the 18th century and grew to feel much affection for each other, so that when Virginie was called to France to be educated by a wealthy relative, Paul longed for her return. However, on her return, Virginie was drowned within sight of Paul who consequently died of a broken heart. Their bodies are supposed to have been buried at this spot. This love story has now been filmed for television by Pierre Gaspard Huit.

17. Bernardin de Saint Pierre Statue - The writer, naturalist and philosopher Jacques Henry Bernardin de Saint Pierre was born in 1737 in a middle-class family. His father was a postmaster. Though he was highly gifted, he was difficult and moody; as a solitary child, he developed a strong rebellious sense, so much so that, when he came to Ile de France in 1768, he thought of declaring the island an ideal republic. Poivre managed to convince him not to do so. He had an admiration for plants and animals.
In addition to his book Paul et Virginie, he wrote Voyage à l’Ile de France in which he described beautifully and at great length the fauna, flora and the way of life on the island.