A Botanist's Puzzle Multi-Cache
yellowhammer678: Giving it up. If someone would like to take it over please do.
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This is a cache featuring a variety of puzzles in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Open daily (except 25 Dec and 1 Jan) 10am to 6pm (March-Sept), 10am to 4pm (Nov-Jan), 10am to 5pm (Feb & Oct)
The first coordinates will take you near the front entrance of the Garden. Once inside head forward up the hill towards the Inverleith House Gallery. Near the circular pond you will find a line of huge Tilia x europaea with an archway in the middle where you can read information about the trees on their tags. For answer A which family do the trees belong to?
Euphorbiaceae=2 Juglandaceae=3 Malvaceae=4 Verbenaceae=5
At the following coordinates N55 57.968 W003 12.576 you will find an interesting plant, for answer B which of the following is it?
Malus sieversii =1
Prunus armeniaca var manchurian =2
Arbutus andrachne =3
Juniperus recurva var. coxii=4
Head north to the Queen Mother's Memorial Garden. Each of the four corners is split into different geographical areas of the world, displaying plants and a tree from those respective areas . In which area can you find the Liriodendron tulipifera fastigiatum?
Asia = N55 57.645 W003 12.173
Europe = N55 57.148 W003 12.385
North America = N55 57.920 W003 12.301
The southern hemisphere = N55 57.117 W003 12.482
Follow the answer coordinates to an area where a few large trees grow. One tree shares a part of its name with a dinosaur, which is derived from the greek word meaning wing. For answer C which type of bark does the tree have?
Papery=1 Rough=2 Smooth=3
Just north of the dinosaur tree on the other side of the path is a large bed of Cotoneasters. Some are big and some are small but one stands out as being very much larger than the others, a Cotoneaster franchetii. On the information tag you will find the plant is native to three places. One like most Cotoneaster is an area of China, one of the others is a country or region listed below. For answer D what other location is listed?
Kyrgyzstan=5 Mongolia=6 Tibet=7 Heilongjiang=8 Kazakhstan=9
To the south west of the Rock Garden and Stream is a grove of Sequoiadendron giganteum that are difficult to miss, but you may need their coordinates N55 57.821 W003 12.376. How many trees are in the group of Sequoiadendron giganteum? E
The Cache
You should now have answers to questions A-E
The cache which is a plastic film container can be found at N55 57.7(A+1)(B+3) W003 12.C(D-5)(E-4)
To get there exit through the East Gate Entrance and turn right. People using pushchairs and wheelchairs will find it easiest to cross at the light as there are stairs if one proceeds directly rather than crossing twice. Turn down Inverleith Terace Lane, the cache is located on the Rocheid Path named in memory of the family who built Inverleith House where the puzzle began, A.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Vafvqr zbqvsvrq fgvpx, orybj Gur Cevaprff Eblny cyndhr
haqre vil, ebhaq pbeare.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures