Arnold Arboretum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arnold Arboretum |
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One of the small ponds within Arnold Arboretum
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| Type | Botanical garden |
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Area | 281 acres (114 ha) |
| Operated by | Harvard University |
| Status | Open year round |
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Arnold Arboretum
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| Built | 1872 |
| Architect | Frederick Law Olmsted |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000127 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | January 12, 1965 |
The Arnold Arboretum is a special place in Boston, Massachusetts. It's like a huge outdoor museum for trees and plants! It was started in 1872 by Harvard University. This makes it the oldest public arboretum (a place where trees and shrubs are grown for study) in North America.
It's a botanical garden where scientists study plants. It's also a free public park for everyone to enjoy. The Arboretum is located in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale neighborhoods of Boston.
The design of this beautiful landscape was created by Charles Sprague Sargent and Frederick Law Olmsted. It's the second largest "link" in Boston's famous Emerald Necklace park system. The Arboretum has a huge collection of trees, shrubs, and vines that can grow in cooler climates. It focuses especially on plants from the eastern United States and eastern Asia. Scientists from the Arboretum often travel to these places to find new plants. The Arboretum also supports research in its outdoor spaces and in its special Weld Hill Research Building.
Contents
History of the Arboretum
The Arnold Arboretum began in 1872. This happened when Harvard College became responsible for part of the money left by James Arnold (1781–1868). Mr. Arnold was a successful merchant from New Bedford, Massachusetts. He wanted some of his money to be used for "Agricultural, or Horticultural improvements." This means making farming and gardening better.
The agreement said that money from Arnold's gift would be used to create and care for an arboretum. It would be called the Arnold Arboretum. The goal was to grow "all the trees [and] shrubs ... which can be raised in the open air." The main goal of the Arboretum has always been to learn more about woody plants through research. It also aims to share this knowledge through education.
Arnold's gift was combined with 120 acres (0.49 km2) of land already given to Harvard. This land was donated in 1842 by Benjamin Bussey. He was a rich Boston merchant and farmer. Bussey gave his country estate, Woodland Hill, and some of his money to Harvard. He wanted it used for teaching about farming, gardening, and related subjects. Harvard used this land to create the Bussey Institute. This institute focused on experiments in agriculture.
In 1872, Charles Sprague Sargent became a professor and the curator of the Arnold Arboretum. A year later, he became the director of both the Arboretum and the Harvard Botanic Garden. In 1877, Sargent asked the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to design the roads and paths. Sargent and Olmsted organized the plant collections by their plant families and groups.
The Hunnewell Building was built in 1892. It was designed by architect Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, Jr.. The Weld Hill Research Building opened in 2011. It's a very energy-efficient building.
The Arboretum has a long history of exploring for plants. They look for new plants in North America, East Asia, and other places. Ernest Henry Wilson was one of the most active plant collectors. He led six trips to Eastern Asia between 1899 and 1919. Many of the plants he collected still grow at the Arboretum today. In 2015, the Arboretum started a 10-year project to collect nearly 400 new species.
From 1946 to 1950, landscape architect Beatrix Farrand helped design the Arboretum. Today, the Arboretum covers 281 acres (114 ha). It is divided into four main areas. The main plant collections are in the main Arboretum and on Peters Hill. The Arboretum is still a great example of a landscape designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.
William (Ned) Friedman is the current Director of the Arnold Arboretum. He is also a professor at Harvard University. The Arnold Arboretum was very important for the growth of modern plant science in China.
How the Arboretum is Managed
The Arboretum is part of Harvard University. It gets its money from private donations. The land itself was given to the City of Boston in 1882. It became part of the Emerald Necklace park system. Harvard University has a very long lease (1,000 years!) on the land. This means Harvard is in charge of developing, maintaining, and running the Arboretum. The City of Boston is responsible for things like water fountains, benches, roads, and safety. The money to run the Arboretum mostly comes from its special fund. All the staff who work there are Harvard University employees.
Where to Find the Arboretum
The Hunnewell Building is where you'll find the Visitors Center and the Horticultural Library. It's located at the main Arborway Gate. You can get there by car on Massachusetts Route 203.
If you're using public transportation, take the MBTA Orange Line train. Go to the last stop, Forest Hills Station. You can also take the #39 bus to the Monument in Jamaica Plain. The Arboretum is an easy walk from either of these places. There are other entrances too, served by different bus lines.
The Arboretum covers 281 acres (114 ha) in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale areas of Boston. It has four important hills: Bussey Hill, Peters Hill, Hemlock Hill, and Weld Hill. Peters Hill is the tallest, at 240 feet (73 meters) high.
Climate at the Arboretum
The Arnold Arboretum gets about 43.63 inches (1,102 mm) of rain each year. It also gets about 40.2 inches (102 centimeters) of snow. The average temperature for the year is 51.5 °F (10.8 °C). In July, the average temperature is 73.5 °F (23 °C). In January, it's about 29.6 °F (-1.3 °C). The Arboretum is in a plant hardiness zone called 6b. This means the lowest winter temperatures are usually between 0 and −5 °F (−18 to −21 °C).
Plant Collections
As of February 2011, the Arboretum has almost 15,000 individual plants. These plants belong to over 10,000 different groups. They represent nearly 4,000 different types of plants. The collection focuses on woody plants (trees, shrubs, and vines) from North America and eastern Asia.
Some of the older collections include plants brought from eastern Asia by famous explorers. These include Charles Sprague Sargent, Ernest Henry Wilson, and others. More recently, new plants have been brought from Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan.
The Arboretum has large collections of many plant types. Some of the most important groups include:
- Acer (Maples)
- Fagus (Beeches)
- Carya (Hickories)
- Pinus (Pines)
- Quercus (Oaks)
- Rhododendron (Rhododendrons)
- Syringa (Lilacs)
There are also special collections like the Bradley Collection of Rose family Plants. They also have many conifers and a beautiful Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection. About 500 new plants are added to the collection each year.
Why and How Plants are Collected
The main goal of the Arnold Arboretum is to learn more about how woody plants grow and change over time. Historically, this research looked at where trees, shrubs, and vines grow around the world. It also studied how they evolved. Today, scientists use modern methods to study plant evolution. They look at plants from temperate parts of Asia, North America, and Europe.
Research also includes studying how plants use water. They also watch how plants change with the seasons. They look at how plant communities grow and how nutrients move in the soil. All this helps us understand how the environment is changing. The Arboretum also uses its plants to study how to grow them better. They also learn how to introduce new plants and manage the environment.
To do all this research, the Arboretum needs a great collection of living plants. They try to get plants that are genetically diverse. This means they want plants that show the natural variety found in wild populations. For each type of plant, the Arboretum tries to grow several examples. This helps them represent the different ways a species might look across its natural range.
It's very important to keep good records for all the plants. They record where each plant came from and its history at the Arboretum. They use computer systems to keep track of everything. They also collect herbarium specimens (dried plant samples), DNA materials, and digital images.
Research at the Arboretum
Scientists at the Arboretum constantly research plant diseases. They also study how to manage pests without harming the plants. Research based on herbarium collections focuses on understanding the different types of plants in Asian forests. They also study how these forests grow and how they can be used without being damaged.
The Arboretum offers many educational programs. These include lectures, courses, and walks for school groups and the public. They teach about plant ecology and how to grow plants. The Arboretum also publishes a quarterly magazine called Arnoldia. It shares detailed information about gardening, plant science, and garden history.
Keeping Plant Records
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The Arboretum keeps all its plant records on a special computer database called BG-BASE. This system was started in 1985. They also use mapping software (GIS) to manage and display information about where plants are located.
Every plant in the collection has a label. This label shows its special number, its scientific name, and its common name. It also tells where the plant came from and its location on the map. Larger labels are often hung on the plants themselves. These show the scientific and common names, and where the plant is native to.
Lilac Sunday
Every year, on the second Sunday in May, the Arboretum celebrates "Lilac Sunday." This is a very special day because it's the only day of the year when picnicking is allowed in the Arboretum!
On Lilac Sunday, many people come to the Arboretum. They enjoy picnics and walk through the beautiful lilac collection. The event happens rain or shine. The Arboretum is open from dawn to dusk, as usual.
Associated Collections
The Arboretum has an herbarium in Jamaica Plain. This is a collection of dried plant specimens. It holds about 160,000 samples of cultivated plants. These samples are related to the living plants in the Arboretum. The Jamaica Plain herbarium, along with the horticultural library, archives, and photographs, are kept in the Hunnewell building. However, the main parts of the herbarium and library are located in Cambridge, at Harvard University.
Working with Other Groups
The Arboretum works with many other organizations. These include the American Public Garden Association and Botanic Gardens Conservation International. Staff members are also part of many national and international plant and garden groups.
The Arboretum also works with the Center for Plant Conservation. It is an active member of the North American Plant Collections Consortium. This means it helps to grow and keep important collections of certain plants. These include Acer, Carya, Fagus, Stewartia, Syringa, and Tsuga. This is important for plant conservation, evaluation, and research. The Arboretum is also part of the North American China Plant Exploration Consortium.
Images for kids
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General view of Arnold Arboretum
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See also
In Spanish: Arnold Arboretum para niños
