The Haverford College Arboretum () is an

arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...

comprising the entire campus of

Haverford College Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...

, in

Haverford, Pennsylvania Haverford is an unincorporated community located in both Haverford Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, and Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County, approximately west of Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) open ...

. It is open daily, dawn to dusk, without charge. As of 2006, the arboretum contains mature

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

s and

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...

s, specimen trees, flowering trees, and natural woodland areas. Over 1,500 trees are labeled with their scientific name, common name and nativity. Specific points of interest include: *Ryan Pinetum - Over 300 mature

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

s, labeled and arranged by family groupings. *State champion trees - Loblolly Pine, ''

Pinus taeda ''Pinus taeda'', commonly known as loblolly pine, is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from East Texas to Florida, and north to southern New Jersey. The wood industry classifies the species as a southern yellow pine. ...

''; and Hinoki False Cypress, ''

Chamaecyparis obtusa ''Chamaecyparis obtusa'' (Japanese cypress, hinoki cypress or hinoki; ja, 檜 or , ) is a species of cypress native to central Japan in East Asia, and widely cultivated in the temperate northern hemisphere for its high-quality timber and orna ...

''. *Penn Treaty Elm - a descendant of the

American Elm ''Ulmus americana'', generally known as the American elm or, less commonly, as the white elm or water elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America, naturally occurring from Nova Scotia west to Alberta and Montana, and south to Flor ...

under which

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

signed his treaty with Native Americans; planted 1915. In 2010, a descendant of Haverford's Elm was planted in

Penn Treaty Park Penn Treaty Park is a small park on the western bank of the Delaware River, in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located on Beach Street, near its intersection with Delaware Avenue. The land that is now the park was ...

, the site of the 1683 treaty. *Asian gardens - the Denis Asian Garden and Teaf Memorial Zen-style Garden. *2.2-mile Nature Trail - A public, wooded recreation trail following the perimeter of campus, popular with runners and dog walkers

History

The arboretum's origins stretch back to 1831, when the campus property was purchased by a group of Welsh Quakers. The College itself was founded two years later. In 1834, English gardener William Carvill laid out the campus in the English landscape tradition championed by noted landscape architect Sir

Humphry Repton Humphry Repton (21 April 1752 – 24 March 1818) was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of ...

. In 1901, shortly after the discovery of Carvill's original landscape drawings, students and alumni seeking to preserve Haverford's natural beauty formed the Campus Club. In 1928 the College minutes record that "a comprehensive planting of trees" was discussed, and in response the Superintendent of Grounds began a scientific collection of trees arranged in generic and family groupings. The Haverford College Arboretum Association was founded in 1974 and continues to oversee the preservation of historic landscapes and trees; the implementation of sustainable plantings and practices; and the development of educational community programming.

External links

Haverford College ArboretumFacebookInstagramPhiladelphia - America's Garden CapitalTree Campus USA
Arboreta in Pennsylvania Botanical gardens in Pennsylvania Haverford Township, Pennsylvania Parks in Delaware County, Pennsylvania

History

See also

Further reading

External links