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Thursday, 29th January 2015
In General Japan News,
Kyoto garden to display endangered plants
Endangered specimens of plants are set to go on display at an arboretum in Kyoto this April, with the installation of a special greenhouse that will allow for the housing of rare species.
Green-thumbed enthusiasts are set to flock to the Kyoto Botanical Gardens to observe flora that appears on the Environment Ministry's Red Data Book, making it the first facility of its kind in Japan to boast such an achievement.
The greenhouse, set to be erected near the garden's Kamogawa gate which was constructed in 2013, will cover an area of about 140 square metres, and will make use of special glass designed to block infrared rays and protect the specimens inside.
Visitors will not be permitted inside where the plants are, but will instead be allowed to wander around the outside and peer through the glass walls at the treasures within. Public access will be restricted for the safety of the endangered flora, which will be kept moist using specialised fog machines and fans.
Although the Kyoto Botanical Gardens already play host to a variety of endangered plant species, they are not able to put them on display for visitors as they lack the facilities for this - something the erection of a new green house will rectify.
Among such rarities are Asarum pellucidum, a rare species of wild ginger that grows only on Amami-Oshima island in Kagoshima Prefecture with less than 100 examples in the wild.
Tourists will also want to keep an eye out for Tricyrtis macrantha, a member of the lily family that features yellow bell-shaped flowers in the wilderness of Kochi Prefecture.
Many of the examples are unique to prefectures or locales in Japan and are completely extinct elsewhere, making their protection and preservation extremely important.
The new green house will open in April.
Related news stories:
Koike: Japan's first female PM? (3rd September 2008)
Mayor of Kyoto outlines plans for tourism (22nd September 2014)
Kyoto named world's best city by Travel + Leisure for second consecutive year (8th July 2015)
Kyoto acclaimed as best travel destination (8th July 2014)
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