Arboretum of the Barnes Foundation facts for kids
The Arboretum of the Barnes Foundation is a special place in Merion, Pennsylvania. It's like a big outdoor museum for trees and plants! An arboretum is a botanical garden that focuses on woody plants, like trees and shrubs. This arboretum covers about 5 hectares (12 acres). It used to be where the Barnes Foundation art gallery was located.
You can visit the arboretum on certain days. You'll need to make a reservation and pay a small fee. The arboretum might soon work closely with Saint Joseph's University. This partnership would help keep the arboretum going strong for many years.
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Discovering the Arboretum's History
The story of this arboretum began in the 1880s. A person named Captain Joseph Lapsley Wilson started planting trees and creating this beautiful space.
In 1922, the Barnes Foundation bought the land. Captain Wilson then became the arboretum's director. He also became a trustee for the foundation until he passed away in 1928.
Over the years, the arboretum has grown a lot. It now has more than 3,000 different kinds of trees and shrubs. It also has a herbarium, which is like a plant library. This herbarium holds 10,000 dried plant samples for study. There's also a library with about 2,500 books about plants. In 1940, the arboretum even started its own school!
Amazing Plant Collections
The Arboretum of the Barnes Foundation is home to many interesting plant collections. You can find different types of:
- Fir trees (Abies)
- Maple trees (Acer)
- Horse chestnuts (Aesculus)
- Barberries (Berberis)
- Cotoneasters
- Dogwood trees (Cornus)
- Crab apple trees
- Spindle trees (Euonymus)
- Beautiful ornamental ferns
- Holly bushes (Ilex)
- Lilacs
- Honeysuckle vines (Lonicera)
- Magnolia trees
- Peony flowers
- Spruce trees (Picea)
- Pine trees (Pinus)
- Oak trees (Quercus)
- Rhododendrons
- Stewartia trees
- Yew bushes (Taxus)
- Viburnum shrubs
You can also see some very special trees here. These include:
- A Ginkgo biloba tree, known for its unique fan-shaped leaves.
- A Cedrus libani, a majestic evergreen tree.
- An Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens).
- A Chinese Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata).
- A Sequoia sempervirens, also known as a California Redwood.
- A Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides).
Other cool plants to look for are:
- Monkey Puzzle Tree (Araucaria araucana)
- Japanese Laurel (Aucuba japonica)
- Dove Tree (Davidia involucrata)
- Horsetail plants (Equisetum species)
- Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
- Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
- Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica)
- [[Trifoliate orange|Poncirus trifoliata]
Gardens and Other Features
Beyond the amazing plant collections, the arboretum has other lovely areas. There's a formal rose and perennial garden, which means it has many beautiful flowers that come back every year. You can also explore woodlands, open lawns, a peaceful pond, and a flowing stream.
In 2002, a greenhouse was rebuilt here. This greenhouse is home to about 250 different kinds of plants. It's a great place to see plants that might not grow well outdoors in Pennsylvania's climate.
See also
In Spanish: Arboreto de la fundación Barnes para niños
