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The Arnold arboretum of Harvard university contains a diverse collection of temperate woody plants. The Arboretum's first director, Charles Sprague Sargent, was keenly interested in the floras of NorthAmerica and Eastern Asia. The collection is used for on-site research and teaching programs as well as by the public.
The Arnold arboretum of Harvard university contains a diverse collection of temperate woody plants. The Arboretum's first director, Charles Sprague Sargent, was keenly interested in the floras of NorthAmerica and Eastern Asia. The collection is used for on-site research and teaching programs as well as by the public.
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The Arnold arboretum of Harvard university contains a diverse collection of temperate woody plants. The Arboretum's first director, Charles Sprague Sargent, was keenly interested in the floras of NorthAmerica and Eastern Asia. The collection is used for on-site research and teaching programs as well as by the public.
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SEXTET Michael Dosmann, Peter Del Tredici, and Eric S ituated upon a 265-acre landscape of rolling parkland and natural woodland, the ArnoldArboretum of Harvard University contains a diverse collection of temperate woody plants that is both breathtakingly beautiful and scientifically significant. Founded in 1872 with the lofty goal to cultivate every tree and shrub hardy out-of-doors in Boston, Massachusetts (USDA Hardiness Zone 6), North America's oldest public arboretum has amassed a synoptic collection of nearly 15,000 accessions representing approximately 4,500 unique taxa. The Arboretum's first director, Charles Sprague Sargent, was keenly interested in the floras of NorthAmerica and Eastern Asia, and the collection's strong representation of plants from these regions is the result of his own botanical exploration as well as those of other Arboretum associates of the early 20th century including Ernest H. Wilson, Joseph Hers,Joseph Rock, and John G. Jack. Active collection development through plant exploration has contin- ued. Recent noteworthy trips to Asia include the 1980 Sino-American Botanical Expedition as well as several conducted under the auspices of the NorthAmerica-China Plant Exploration Consortium (NACPEC), of which the Arboretum is a founding member. Domestic plant exploration within North America has also been a signifi- cant source of plant material and continues to this day. Designed by Sargent in collaboration with landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape is both an amenity pleasure ground and a research institution. At its very core is the living collection, which is central to the ful- fillment of the institution's mission to "discover and disseminate knowledge of the plant kingdom to foster greater understanding, appreciation, and rostr;\ " (S
" I: i.IJ J ;. stewardship of the Earth's botanical diversity and its essential value to humankind:' Maintained to high horticul- tural and curatorial standards, the collec- tion is used for on-site research and teaching programs as well as by external scientists and educators. Research plays a vital role in the enhancement of the collection, as individual accessions are studied, documented, and become refer- ences for future scientific endeavors. All records are maintained in an electronic database (BG-BASE), and all planting locations are plotted using com- puter-generated maps. High priority is placed on the documentation of the living accessions through frequent field checking, the gathering and preparation of voucher herbarium specimens, and photography.The herbarium specimens (collected in vegetative and reproductive stages) are housed in our on-site herbari- um (approximately 130,000 specimens) and are part of the Harvard University Herbaria (over 5 million specimens) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Such voucher- ing of the living collection through time increases its value and provides an indispensable dataset for future analyses. Should individual living plants ever be deaccessioned, they will always remain in our collection at least in preserved form.All of our collections, living and herbarium, can be searched using online databases accessed on our website www.arboretum.harvard.edu. NAPCC Collections In 2002, the ArnoldArboretum was given official member status in the NorthAmerican Plant Collections Consortium (NAPCC) for a quintet of genera: Acer, Carya, Fagus, Syringa, and Tsuga. The selection of these five based upon the current wi hin the Arboretum's collection as we the ability to achieve broad taxono geographic diversity through additional development. While each of the generic collections is represented by both wild and cultivated taxa, emphasis is on botanical taxa or known wild origin. In 2006, Stewartia was added to our list, bringing the total to six. In that same year the Arboretum teamed up with 11 other gardens and arboreta to submit an application for a multi-institutional collection of Acer. As with all of our collections, our commitment to these six genera can be divided into three primary areas: devel- opment, management, and enhance- ment. In developing each collection fur- ther, priority is placed on obtaining new taxa as well as material of documented wild origin of taxa already held, particu- larly of novel geographic source. Aside from new material that is of cultivated origin (and thus considered discre- tionary), additions to these six genera represent a long-term, obligatory com- mitment. Because of their high priority, elevated attention is paid to their man- agement including their cultivation in the greenhouse, nurseries, and landscape as well as methods to prevent the loss of historic and/or valuable lineages through vegetative propagation. It is not enough, however, that the collections are developed and maintained: it is also important that they are enhanced. We achieve this through documentation and research efforts as well as our support of visiting researchers who use the collections in their work. To facilitate research use, we not only provide access to the living and affiliated collections, but offer fmancial support through fellowships and awards. l''Vouoretum's holdings reflect e of the genus within the em Hemisphere, particularly temperate zones ofAsia. The Acer collection comprises 133 taxa within 55 species, with the majority of specimens cultivated along Meadow Road near related genera such as Aesculus and Koelreuteria. Because of its close- ness to the administrative building and main gate, it is a popular destination point for visitors. Due to the institution's past and present plant explorations, maples from EasternAsia are particularly well repre- sented.This cohort includes the trifoliate maples, and outstanding specimens of Acer griseum (paperbark maple),Acer triflorum (three-flowered maple),Acer mandshuricum (Manchurian maple) and Acer maximowiczianum (Nikko maple) have prospered over the years. One of the most impressive trees in the collection is accession 12488*B, the first A. griseum introduced to North America. It was collected as a seedling byWilson in Hubei Province in 1907 during his first for the Arboretum.The Acer colle n has been used for an extensive fd1l f research so tantalizing, but the conquest, even today, affords me greater pleasure than that of any other group of trees. Several of the Asian taxa in our col- lection are quite rare in cultivation, and thus we frequently receive requests by researchers and other botanical institu- tions to provide tissue and propagules. The beech collection also contains nearly 20 cultivars of Esylvatica, including two amazing specimens of Esylvatica 'Tortuosa' that were planted in the 1880s.These individuals, with their dome-shaped canopies of twisted and gnarled branches, are some of the most frequently photographed trees at the Arboretum. Syringa Among the six NAPCC collections at the Arboretum, none is more famous Stewartia Although this may be our newest NAPCC collection, receiving member status in July 2006, Stewartia is a genus with a great deal of history at the Arboretum. The oldest living accession is a S. pseudocamellia collected by Wilson in 1917 in Korea. Two fme-Iook- ing specimens of this taxon (AA 11440*A and 11440*B) grow atop Bussey Hill along Chinese Path. The collection con- tains six other species as well as several interspecific hybrids, varieties, and culti- vars. As a research tool, this generic collection has been used extensively by previous and current Arboretum staff members; activities have ranged from monographic and phylogenetic studies, to propagation and introduction of ornamental selections. Future work in the development and enhancement of the collection will be assisted through collaborative efforts with nearby Polly Hill Arboretum on Martha's Vineyard, another NAPCC holder of Stewartia. presents the opportunity to cultivate a greater number of wild-origin prove- nances within each species. Fagus The Arboretum's collection of Fagus is noteworthy because it comprises eight of the 10 to 11 species that occur in the Northern Hemisphere. Some of this diversity can be credited to Wilson's plant-collecting efforts in Asia, where most of the species occur. In an unpublished manuscript on his plant introductions (Archives of the Arnold Arporetum), he describes how he m'!1laged to acquire Fagus engleriana, Elucida and Elongipetiolata after previous failed attempts: In the spring of 1910 I determined to collect living plants. I made a special journey into north-western Hupeh and in different localities affixed wire marks on about a dozen seedlings of each species. This done, I arranged to leave in the district until the autumn a man whose sole duty was to dig up these plants and bring them to me on my return to !changfrom western Szechuan. He fell sick andfailed to carry out the trust. Winter had set in when I returned to !chang, but I determined to make a final effort. I offered two of my collectors, who were with me when the plants were marked, fifty ounces ofsilver if they wouldjourney forth and bring in the plants. This they accomplishedfor the prize to them was great. The plants, wrapped carefully in sphagnum moss and packed in a ventilated trunk, accompanied me to the Arnold Arboretum where they arrived in excellent condition. Today all three are fairly well established in culti- vation. There was no special reason why the identity or introduction of these Beeches should have proved projects, and now as part of the multi- institutional NAPCCAcer group, we anticipate the collection will gain in both distinction and utility. Carya Though easily recognized by their large.; pinnately compound leaves, and as important silviculture crops, hickories are not widely represented in cultivation outside of a few species such as Carya ovata (shagbark hickory) and Carya illinoinensis (pecan). Because of this paucity, the Arboretum is committed to maintaining a well-developed and enhanced generic collection.There are between 17 and 19 species of Carya (depending upon taxonomic treat- ment), of which 11 are grown at the Arboretum; the collection also contains several botanical varieties, cultivars, and interspecific hybrids. Species of Carya are naturally distributed on both sides of the Pacific, however, unlike the other genera in the NAPCC sextet, those grown at the Arboretum are from North America, because the Asian species are not hardy in the Boston climate.While this limits the among-species diversity the Arnold's collection can amass, it 42 PUBLIC GARDEN Syringa Collection and familiar to the average Bostonian than the lilac collection. For 100 years, it has been a public tradition in mid-May to descend upon the Syringa on Lilac Sunday to enjoy and admire the diversi- ty of lilacs blooming upon the northeast slope of Bussey Hill. While the majority of the some 200 taxa in the collection are ornamental cultivars, a number of the 22 species are well represented by provenances of known wild origin. Lilacs have been part of the Arboretum's research program for many years, with the collections used in the fields of phylogenetics and pathology, in particu- lar. The Arboretum's plant propagator, JackAlexander, has also played a role in the development of ornamental selec- tions. Two notable recent introductions are Syringa x chinensis 'Lilac Sunday' and Syringa 'Purple Haze'. Tsuga Of the nine known species of hem- lock, we have within our collection the seven that are hardy in our climate: 1: canadensis, 1: carotiniana, 1: chinen- sis, 1: diversijotia, 1: heteropbylla, 1: mertensiana and 1: sieboldii. The fITst three species are particularly well repre- sented by numerous wild-origin acces- sions, and the collection of 1: canaden- sis contains nearly 50 ornamental genotypes. The significance of hemlock to the Arboretum predates its founding in 1872, for one of the most prominent primordial landscape features is 170-ft tall Hemlock Hill, which is blanketed by a stand of 1: canadensis. Although much of it was devastated during the infamous hurricane of 1938, it gradually returned to distinction through natural regeneration and the intentional plant- ing of seedlings. However, another threat followed: the introduction of the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA,Adelges tsugae) to North America fromAsia in the 1950s. First discovered at the Arboretum in 1997, the insect has since become a severe pest threatening the survival of the native stand of 1: canadensis as well as the many accessioned 1: canadensis and 1: carotiniana. The Arboretum's policy is to control HWA on those trees that are accessible. However, due to the steep topography of Hemlock Hill, not all trees can be treated. Interestingly, out of this dim scenario has emerged a number of research opportunities. An investigation into understory regenera- tion and biogeochemistry is currently being carried out in collaboration with researchers from the Harvard Forest. In another recent and related study, resist- ance to HWA attack in other hemlock species in the collection was evaluated. With regard to the latter project, 1: chinensis, which was introduced from China byWilson, has shown the greatest promise and has been a driver in expanding the genetic base of this species in our collection. Conclusion Each of the six genera in our collec- tion has its own unique history, research potential, ornamental appeal, and management regimes. As individuals, each stands out, is granted notice, and applauded as soloists.Yet, as an ensemble, our NAPCC collections are considered exemplary and representative of our comprehensive living collection. With our institutional commitment is the recognition that none of these generic collections can ever be deemed com- plete: there always will remain the need for further development through acquisition and enhancement through documentation and research. Michael Dosmann is Curator of Living Collections, Peter Del Tredici is Senior Research Scientist, and Eric Hsu is a former Putnam Research Fellow at the ArnoldArboretum of Harvard University inJamaica Plain, Massachusetts.