The Penang Botanic Gardens, 1794–1905: the design and development of a tropical botanic garden

Botanic gardens in South-East Asia made a significant contribution during the discovery and dissemination of flowering and economic botany throughout the world from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s. While many of these gardens have received both international recogmtlOn and national expenditures commensurate with their significance, the Penang Botanic Gardens on Pulau Pinang, an island off the west coast of Malaysia, have often been overlooked. These gardens silently supported and assisted the endeavours of the Singapore Botanic Gardens’ administration and botanical research. They were also an important venue for the cultivation and dissemination of seeds and specimens throughout Asia and into Britain. Prominent in Penang’s development was the vision of its first Curator, Charles Curtis (1854–1928), who supervised the design and development from 1884 to 1903 and established Penang’s credentials as a significant botanical research centre. This article reviews the history — notably the design development — of the Penang Botanic Gardens, from 1794 to 1905, and considers their contribution on the Pulau itself and to South-East Asian botanic garden history.