Giardino Botanico Ponziano

The Giardino Botanico Ponziano is a private botanical garden located on Villa Madonna collina Belvedere, Ponza in the Pontine Islands, Province of Latina, Lazio, Italy.

The garden was established in the 1980s by Dr. Biagio Vitiello, and contains a variety of woody plants typical of the Pontine Islands and now threatened. It also contains a collection of wild orchids, including "Neottia nidus-ovis", "Ophrys tenthredinifera", "Orchis morio", "Orchis papilionacea", "Serapias lingua", and "Spiranthes spiralis".

Other species include "Anthyllis barba-jovis", "Arbutus unedo", "Artemisia arboris", "Asparagus acutifolius", "Cistus monspeliensis", "Cistus salvifolius", "Daphne sericea", "Erica arborea", "Erica multiflora", "Euphorbia arboris", "Juniperus phoenicea", "Laurus nobilis", "Lonicera implexa", "Medicago arborea", "Myrtus communis", "Pistacea lentiscus", "Rhamnus alaternus", "Ricinus communis", "Scilla maritima", "Smilax aspera", "Spartium junceum", "Sternbergia lutea", "Thymelaea hirsuta", and "Viburnum tinus". This privately owned botanical garden of rare endangered flowering plants is almost directly above the Grotta di Ulisse O Del Sangue, which means Cave of Ulysses of the Blood. This cave or grotto is a must see for Homer fanatics, as well as the nearby Grotta della Maga Circe or Cave of the Sorceress Circe.

See also

* List of botanical gardens in Italy

References

* [http://www.giardinoponza.it Giardino Botanico Ponziano]
* [http://www.litoralepontino.it/pdf/aprile%202006.pdf Litorale Pontino article, April 2006]