Biology · The Living World · NEET
A botanical garden is a special garden where living plants are collected, grown and kept for scientific study. It is one of the taxonomical aids (tools that help in classification). The main point for NEET: the plants are ALIVE and each plant carries a LABEL that gives its scientific name and its local (common) name. This makes it easy to see, compare and identify real plants.
They are LIVING. This is the most common trap. A botanical garden keeps living, growing plants. A herbarium is the opposite — it stores dried, pressed plant specimens on sheets. So if a question says 'dried and pressed', that is a herbarium, NOT a botanical garden.
Each labelled plant shows its scientific name (botanical name) and its local or common name. Because every plant is named and labelled, a student or scientist can walk through the garden and identify plants directly. This labelling is the key feature NEET asks about.
A herbarium stores DRIED and pressed plant specimens on herbarium sheets, arranged in a filing system by a classification. A botanical garden grows LIVING plants in the open, each with a name label. Both are taxonomical aids, but one holds dead dried samples (herbarium) and the other holds living plants (botanical garden).
The most famous world example is the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in England. In India, key examples are the Indian Botanical Garden at Howrah (near Kolkata) and the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) at Lucknow. Remember Kew for a NEET example question.
Because the plants are living and labelled, scientists can study real flowers, leaves and fruits, compare closely related species side by side, and check features needed for correct identification. Living material also helps in research on plant variety and in keeping a record of local plants.
Try the real previous-year questions from this chapter — each with the answer and a full solution.
Yes. A botanical garden is one of the taxonomical aids, along with herbarium, museum, zoological parks and keys. It helps in identification and study of plants.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (England) is the most famous. In India, the Indian Botanical Garden, Howrah and NBRI, Lucknow are important examples.
Living plants. They grow real plants that are labelled with their scientific and local names. Preserved specimens belong to museums (animals) or herbaria (dried plants).
The scientific (botanical) name and the local (common) name of the plant.
