The
University of Oxford Botanic Garden is the oldest
botanic garden in
Great Britain and one of the oldest scientific gardens in the world. The garden was founded in 1621 as a
physic garden growing plants for medicinal research. Today it contains over 8,000 different plant
species on 1.8 hectares (4½ acres). It is one of the most diverse yet compact
collections of plants in the world and includes representatives from over 90% of the
higher plant families.