Chrismate: PART 1 - SPICE GARDEN / 'Le Jardin du Roi', Mahé, Seychelles.

Monday, March 27, 2017

PART 1 - SPICE GARDEN / 'Le Jardin du Roi', Mahé, Seychelles.

Geologically speaking, the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean, are the visible part of the continent that

The Seychelles archipelago

once linked Africa to Asia ('Gondwana') before the continental drift. The western group of the Indian Ocean islands (Madagascar, Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues, the Comoros, and the Seychelles) is politically a sub-group of the Dark Continent.

This physical feature may account why these islands have retained a unique ecosystem. It is particularly true with the Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands, seen as a microcontinent. The Seychelles islands are of two types:

the granitic group: rocky with an elevation that can reach 914m,
the outer islands: coral atolls.

It is interesting to note that these are the only granitic oceanic islands in the world dating back to the late Precambrian. Until the 17^th century, when they were disputed between the French and the British, the Seychelles were not inhabited. This may explain in turn why they have remained a natural paradise with an incredible variety of species both in the animal and vegetal worlds. The two best-known examples are the giant Aldabra tortoises and the coco de mer, a unique brand of coconut.

Aldabra tortoise

Coco de mer

The 45 granite islands of the Seychelles are the world's oldest ocean islands with their own rainforests. Each of the three major islands (Mahé, Praslin, La Digue) have managed to keep a specific natural environment.

Le Jardin du Roi (Spice Garden) on the island of Mahé is one of the best places to visit if you are interested in knowing more about the local flora in particular.

Le Jardin du Roi and its colonial house

The present estate is not the original one, which was burnt down by mistake in the 18^th century. At that time, a French trader and horticulturist, Pierre Poivre (1719-1786), originally from Lyon had

Pierre Poivre in Victoria

started to import clove and nutmeg from the Moluccas (the Dutch 'Spice Islands' in the East Indies) in order to counter a lucrative business that had been a Dutch monopoly. Today's Spice Garden was recreated in order to keep the spice trade tradition. It is located on a hillside, in the southern part of Mahé island, near Anse Royale on the east coast. The original colonial house (built around 1860) has become a small museum. There is also a café and a restaurant nearby offering a stunning view of the rainforest as far as the ocean. The well-documented, self-guided tour offers three main discovery hikes in the garden:

a rainforest trail,
a garden walk,
and, a medicinal plant walk.

Map of the Spice Garden in Mahé

There is a huge number of trees, plants, and spices that have been carefully numbered so that you can recognize them on the folders provided at the entrance. Here is a selected list that I found particularly interesting to recognize on my walking tour:

#	English name	Nom français	Latin
1	Allspice	Quatre-épices	Pimenta dioica
2	Camphor	Camphrier	Cinnamomum camphora
3	Cinnamon	Cannelier	Cinnamomum verum
4	Clove	Giroflier	Syzygium aromaticum
5	Coca	Coca	Erythroxylum novogranatense
6	Cocoa	Cacao	Theobroma cacao
7	Custard apple	Cœur de bœuf	Annona reticulata
8	Guava	Goyavier	Psidium guajava
9	Jackfruit	Jacquier	Artocarpus heterophyllus
10	Java/Water apple	Jamalac	Syzygium samarangense
11	Lemongrass	Citronnelle	Cymbopogon citratus
12	Mahogany	Acajou	Swietenia macrophylla
13	Mangosteen	Mangoustan	Garcinia mangostana
14	Monkey's apple	Pomme jacot	Mimusops coriacea
15	Nutmeg	Muscadier	Myristica fragrans
16	Orchid tree	Sabot de bœuf	Bauhinia variegata
17	Pepper	Poivrier	Piper nigrum
18	Sapodilla	Sapotillier	Manilkara zapota
19	Seychelles stilt palm	Latanier latte	Verschaffeltia splendida
20	Soursop	Corossolier	Annona muricata
21	Starfruit	Carambole	Averrhoa carambola
22	Tamarind	Tamarinier	Tamarindus indica