Yerevan Botanical Garden

Mkrtchyan put together a large collection of the Caucasian flora, so that almost every plant species native to Armenia was represented in an area of approximately 16 hectares.

The majority of the species in the collection belong to the plant families Cupressaceae, Pinaceae, Fabaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Oleaceae and Rosaceae, and the genera Juniperus, Quercus, Syringa and Clematis are particularly well represented.

Plants grown in the park which are typical of the Caucasus include Quercus castaneifolia, Hedera helix, Corylus colurna, Juniperus sabina, Parrotia persica, and Populus euphratica.

The North American flora is represented by the species Liriodendron tulipifera, Juglans nigra, Catalpa bignonioides, Juniperus virginiana and Yucca filamentosa; that of Europe and Siberia by Aesculus hippocastanum, Cercis siliquastrum, Quercus robur and Larix sibirica and that of East Asia by Sophora japonica and Metasequoia glyptostroboides.

In the winter garden they cultivated Washingtonia filifera, Syagrus romanzoffiana subtropical fruit-bearing plants like Feijoa sellowiana, Eucalyptus spp.

The houseplant section featured indoor ornamentals noted for their attractive flowers and/or foliage, such as species and varieties of Begonia, Crinum, Clivia, Fuchsia, Nerium, Passiflora and Pelargonium.

Close to the glasshouse range was a nursery area devoted to the production of over 200 species of tropical and subtropical house plants, specimens of which were distributed annually to schools, factories and other organizations to beautify them and contribute to the wellbeing of their pupils and workers.

From the outset, scientists affiliated to the garden have made regular media appearances and written extensively of the challenges of environmental protection in Armenia.

Research also continues into the influence of locality on plant growth, focussing on previously unexplained anomalies whereby certain woody species grow unnaturally fast in particular areas.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union the financial resources for the parks disappeared, and yet further damage was inflicted upon the garden by the Armenian energy crisis in 1992-1995, when many trees were cut down to be burnt as fuel for heating.