 It was founded in 1808 by King John VI of Portugal.Originally intended for the acclimatisation of spices like nutmeg, pepper and cinnamon imported from the West Indies, the garden was opened to the public in 1822, and is now open during daylight hours every day except 25 December and 1 January.The 140-hectare park lies at the foot of the Corcovado Mountain, far below the right arm of the statue of "Christ the Redeemer" and contains more than 6,000 different species of tropical and subtropical plants and trees, including 900 varieties of palm trees.