The Edith J. Carrier Arboretum is an arboretum and

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

on the

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...

campus, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in the Shenandoah Valley. Groundbreaking for the arboretum took place April, 1985, under direction of Dr. Norlyn Bodkin, who is credited the first scientific botanical discovery along the Eastern Seaboard of Virginia since the 1940s, Trillium: Shenandoah Wake Robin, presently found at the arboretum The only arboretum located on the campus of a Virginia state university. Exhibits include a developed trail system through of mature Oak-Hickory Forrest with two identified century specimens and a species on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Threatened Species list protected at the arboretum: Betula uber, Round-Leaf Birch. Its gardens include: *Andrew Wood Memorial Garden (1994) - 92 species including

Turk's cap lily Turk's cap lily is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * ''Lilium martagon ''Lilium martagon'', the martagon lily or Turk's cap lily, is a Eurasian species of lily. It has a widespread native region extending from Portugal east t ...

, Dutchman's breeches, wild ginger, squirrel corn, native azaleas,

laurel Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (mus ...

s and rhododendrons. *April Walk Daffodil Garden (1988) - a variety of

daffodil ''Narcissus'' is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil,The word "daffodil" is also applied to related genera such as ''Sternbergia'', ''Ism ...

s. *Ballard Memorial Planting (1991) -

Ginkgo ''Ginkgo'' is a genus of non-flowering seed plants. The scientific name is also used as the English name. The order to which it belongs, Ginkgoales, first appeared in the Permian, 270 million years ago, and is now the only living genus with ...

or maidenhair tree, azaleas, rhododendrons, white

redbud ''Cercis'' is a genus of about 10 species in the subfamily Cercidoideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to warm temperate regions. It contains small deciduous trees or large shrubs commonly known as redbuds. They are characterised by si ...

s, Chinese

dogwood ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous trees or shru ...

and blackhaw tree, Viburnum prunifolium. *Wetlands Garden (1999) - Equisetum, horsetail, and

bald cypress ''Taxodium distichum'' (bald cypress, swamp cypress; french: cyprès chauve; ''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a wide ...

. *Drury Planting (1993) - forest pansy

, Chinese dogwood, Carolina silverbell, dolchica spirea,

Japanese maple ''Acer palmatum'', commonly known as Japanese maple, palmate maple, or smooth Japanese maple (Japanese: ''irohamomiji'', , or ''momiji'', (栴), is a species of woody plant native to Japan, Korea, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russi ...

, Cherokee sunset

, and dwarf barberry. *Fern Valley - on ravine slopes,

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...

s including New York fern, hay-scented fern, Christmas fern,

ostrich fern ''Matteuccia'' is a genus of ferns with one species: ''Matteuccia struthiopteris'' (common names ostrich fern, fiddlehead fern, or shuttlecock fern). The species epithet ''struthiopteris'' comes from Ancient Greek words () "ostrich" and () "fer ...

, and marginal shield fern. *Glen Dale Azalea Experimental Planting (1996) - hybrid azaleas. *Heath Family Plantings - rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurel, and Leucothoe. * Herb Garden (1996) *Larkin Smith Rock Garden (1991) - features 7 of 15-plus endemic species to the shale barren: yellow buckwheat, Virginia white-haired leather flower,

ragwort ''Jacobaea vulgaris'', syn. ''Senecio jacobaea'', is a very common wild flower in the family Asteraceae that is native to northern Eurasia, usually in dry, open places, and has also been widely distributed as a weed elsewhere. Common names inc ...

spike moss Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...

, and hairy lipped

s, with "near endemic" prickly pear

cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gree ...

and the shining sumac. *Mid-Atlantic Azalea Garden (1996)- azalea natives including pinxter flower, flame azalea, rose azalea, plumleaf azalea, and hybrid crosses. *McDonald Azalea and Rhododendron Garden (1995) - Azaleas and rhododendrons of many varieties. *Norlyn L. Bodkin

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 ...

Hickory Forest (1998) An approximate 20 acre mast producing forest named to honor the arboretum founding director. *Sinclair Garden (1996)- a variety of shrubs and perennials, including Japanese barberry,

kousa dogwood Kousa may refer to: * Kousa dogwood (''Cornus kousa'') * ''kousa'' or ''kōsa'', known as Asian Dust * Kōsa (also known as Honganji Kennyo), the leader of Ishiyama Hongan-ji and Ikkō-Ikki rebels. * Kousa or kusa, a type of squash (fruit) ' ...

leyland cypress The Leyland cypress, ''Cupressus'' × ''leylandii'', often referred to simply as leylandii, is a fast-growing coniferous evergreen tree much used in horticulture, primarily for hedges and screens. Even on sites of relatively poor culture, plant ...

cherry laurel ''Prunus'' subg. ''Padus'' is a subgenus of ''Prunus'', characterised by having racemose inflorescences. ''Padus'' was originally a distinct genus, but genetic and morphological studies have shown that ''Padus'' is polyphyletic. It has been prop ...

and rhododendrons. *Viette Perennial Garden (1992) - 18 varieties of

daylilies A daylily or day lily is a flowering plant in the genus ''Hemerocallis'' , a member of the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae. Despite the common name, it is not in fact a lily. Gardening enthusiasts and horticulturists have long ...

and 8 varieties of

Siberian iris ''Iris sibirica'' ( commonly known as Siberian iris or Siberian flag), is a species in the genus ''Iris''. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial, from Europe (including France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, H ...

hosta ''Hosta'' (, syn. ''Funkia'') is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name gibōshi. Hostas are widely cultivated as shade-tolerant foliage plants. The genus is currently placed in the fa ...

s, and Eupatoriums. There is no conservatory on the grounds. The Frances Plecker Education Center is staffed and open Monday through Friday, generally from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

External links

The Edith Carrier Arboretum WebsiteJames Madison University
{{Coord, 38, 25, 47.3, N, 78, 51, 39.2, W, display=title Carrier Arboretum Carrier Arboretum James Madison University Geography of Harrisonburg, Virginia Tourist attractions in Harrisonburg, Virginia

See also

External links