| Description : After the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, King Joseph I's
prime minister, the Marquis of Pombal, moved the court to Ajuda, then a suburb of the capital. The king bought a farm next
to the royal residence to grow fruit and vegetables for consumption in the palace. For these reasons, the Italian
naturalist Domenico Vandelli (1735‐1816) planned the first botanical garden in Portugal (and fifteenth in
Europe) for the preservation, study and collection of the greatest possible variety of plant species, with the intention
that it would serve to educate the king's grandchildren. The gardens were laid out in 1768 in the contemporary symmetrical
style of French and Italian gardens and opened to the general public during the reign of King John VI. During this
time, the number of species planted increased considerably, thanks to specimens brought by the governors of the colonies.
The botanical garden was extensively restored in 1948 after the hurricane‐force storm of February 1941 ‐ one
of the five strongest storms to hit Europe in the 20th century. The Ajuda Botanical Garden is part of the University
of Lisbon's Agronomy Institute and serves as infrastructure for educational and research purposes. The coin motif shows the
garden's landmark, a Canary dragon tree planted in 1760. The occasion of issue "250 ANOS JARDIM BOTÂNICO DA AJUDA"
(250 years of the Ajuda Botanical Garden) and "PORTUGAL 2018" are indicated in a circle. Below the dragon tree,
"J. FAZENDA" are the signet of the coin master Joao Fazenda and "INCM" the mint mark of the Portuguese mint
Imprensa Nacional‐ Casa da Moeda S.A. in Lisbon. |
