Talipot Palm Avenue in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, Ceylon.
One of Asia's first and most important botanical gardens
The history of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya dates to 1821. The first British Superintendent Alexander Moon originally cleared the southwest area of the gardens. He published his catalog of plants on the island a few years later. Successive superintendents greatly expanded the gardens, growing produce for sale in Kandy, The worked to create commercial varieties of rubber, cinnamon and other plants crucial to the island's early economy. Director Henry Trimen wrote a Guide to the gardens in 1883 (link below). Work at the gardens led directly to the creation of agricultural institutions across the island in the early 20th century and have served as an example for similar institutions in other parts of Asia.