Located at the western foot of Sunlight Rock on Jishan Road, the Huaqiao Subtropical Botanical Garden is a non-profit public welfare scientific research institution. The garden is primarily engaged in the improvement and promotion of overseas introduced plants, housing over 1000 varieties of tropical and subtropical economic plant breeds and flowers. Visitors can not only learn about plant science knowledge but also appreciate rare flowers and plants from around the world.
The garden covers more than 200 acres, surrounded by mountains on three sides, starting from Heroes Hill in the east, passing through Jimushan and Bread Mountain in the north, to Langdong Mountain in the west, and facing the sea in the south, forming a horseshoe-shaped valley. The winter temperature here is higher than in the urban and suburban areas, making it an ideal natural base for the introduction and domestication of tropical and subtropical plants. The garden is divided into sections including a seedling nursery, experimental nursery, flower garden, exhibition greenhouse, cultivation greenhouse, and shade house, with designated areas for fruit trees, economic forest trees, medicinal plants, aromatic plants, and aquatic plants.
Upon entering the flower exhibition hall, one is greeted by a dazzling array of blooming flower bonsai that elicit endless praise. There are the cyclamen, native to the Mediterranean with pink flowers and green leaves with golden veins; the African violet with purple flowers and yellow stamens, and dark leaves; the tulip, native to Europe with broad, needle-like leaves and willow-like flowers; and the orchid, native to Southeast Asia with a graceful and fragrant scent. In the tropical plant specimen garden, there are world-renowned trees such as mahogany, ironwood, and teak, the oil-rich avocado with an oil content of up to 20%, and the parasitic tree of valuable industrial raw material shellac – the Sumatran silk tree.
Among the tropical fruit trees, there are golden apples, custard apples, snake skin fruits, wending fruits, feijoa, seedless guava, various sapodillas. Tropical medicinal plants include Thai large phoenix seeds, Arabic gum, sandalwood, and cat whisker grass. Tropical spice and beverage plants include vanilla, ylang-ylang, coffee, and cocoa.
