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Arnold Arboretum

Managed by Harvard University, the Arnold Arboretum serves as an outdoor museum. It displays world-renowned collections of shrubs and trees for education and research. The arboretum’s mission is to increase the knowledge of woody plants through research and education. Arnold Arboretum is the oldest public arboretum in North America. Established in 1872, it was named after James Arnold, a wealthy merchant who gifted a portion of his estate to the President and fellows of Harvard College. Harvard accepted the bequest and officially allocated the site for arboretum in 1874. With the agreement of opening this ground to the public, the arboretum became part of the famous "Emerald Necklace," a 7-mile-long-parkland around much of the Boston area. In 1877, C. S. Sargent (the director of Arnold Arboretum) produced a design for the arboretum which was later completed by Olmsted. The arboretum was established as a leading scientific institution by the development of a comprehensive library and a notable herbarium. This 265-acre botanical garden, owned by the City of Boston, Massachusetts, has living collections that consists of botanical and horticultural taxa and woody species of North America. Collections of historical interest include plants introduced from eastern Asia. Highlights in the plant collection include Acer griseum, Stewartia pseudocamellia, and Hamamelis vernalis. In addition to the above, the garden holds the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Collection of Rosaceous Plants. Its curvilinear design complements the naturalistic style established by Sargent and Olmsted. The collection of shrubs and vines contain Genera Daphne, Viburnum, and Ilex, Clematis, Actinidia, Wisteria, and dwarf members of the acid-loving rhododendron family. Other attractions include the Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection, herbarium collection, more than 380 lilac plants of approximately 180 different kinds, conifers and centenarians. The library at the arboretum contains more than 40,000 volumes and 25,000 photographs and includes an archive that serves as a repository for 19th-, 20th-, and 21st-century horticultural and botanical collections. In addition, it offers an internship program, apprenticeship program, and research fellowships. Public programs that include both scholarly and semi-popular works are offered to increase visitor's enjoyment. Educational programs offer school groups and the public a wide range of lectures, courses, and walks focusing on the ecology and cultivation of plants.