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Statement of Significance

The site of Brisbane City Botanic Gardens was selected as a public garden in 1828 by New South Wales Colonial Botanist Charles Fraser, three years after the establishment of the European settlement. Originally the garden was planted with food crops to feed the convicts. In 1855, a portion of the land was declared a 'botanic reserve' and Walter Hill was appointed as curator. The Queensland Heritage Register describes the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens as 'the most significant, non-aboriginal cultural landscape in Queensland having a continuous horticultural history since 1828, without any significant loss of land area or change in use over time.' It incorporates Brisbane's most mature gardens and features many rare and unusual species of plants. Planted in 1869 at the time of Walter Hill’s curatorship, this is an endangered species in its native countries of the Americas and the Caribbean, and is one of the two species that produce mahogany timber. Situated to be prominently seen as a visitor walks through the main garden entrance, the tree forms an important part of the landscape of this historic garden. Its shade forms a sanctuary in the summer's heat for those who use the gardens. It is associated with Walter Hill, the garden's first curator, who was responsible for its planting. The tree has high aesthetic value.
The tree is to the left of the path, near the Alice Street entrance to the gardens.