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Japanese Buddha, flanked by two ginkgos |
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Artis contains more than 200 different species of trees. Some of the trees predate Artis itself. One such example is the common oak next to the outdoor chimpanzee enclosure. This tree has been estimated to be about 250 years old. Like most oaks in temperate regions, this oak loses its leaves in the winter. At the Goat Rock there is an evergreen live oak, which is unusual since this species is a native of the Mediterranean region. This tree can just about survive the occasional hard winter here in the western region of the Netherlands.
Another unusual tree is the Japanese nut tree or ginkgo. This species, which has been around for 180 million years, occurs naturally in the temperate regions of Asia. In China, these trees were often planted in the grounds of temples. This was probably why two ginkgos were planted near the statue of the Bodhisattva (Buddha) in the Japanese Stone Garden.
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