Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
Thousands of woody plants from temperate regions grow across 281 acres of Olmsted roads, meadows, hills, and research collections.
Artwork inspired by Blanche Ames Ames
Thousands of woody plants from temperate regions grow across 281 acres of Olmsted roads, meadows, hills, and research collections. The Arboretum is simultaneously Harvard research institution and free Boston park. Labels, accession records, plant geography, long-term monitoring, and designed circulation turn ordinary walking into botanical comparison.
Choose a seasonal collection and one hill rather than covering every road. Use the plant database or visitor map, and remember that bicycles stay on paved routes while collections extend onto grass and slopes. The collection is steep and extensive with limited interior services. Do not climb trees, collect material, or allow dogs off leash.
- Founded
- 1872
- Area
- 281 acres
- Collection
- About 16,000 accessioned plants
Quick guide
- Pick one family
- Compare related plants instead of collecting names.
- Read accession tags
- Origin and date make each tree evidence.
Know before you go
- Pick one family
- Compare related plants instead of collecting names.
- Read accession tags
- Origin and date make each tree evidence.
- Climb Bussey Hill
- Topography reveals the Olmsted plan.
- Return seasonally
- Flowers, fruit, bark, and form take turns.
Good to know
The collection is steep and extensive with limited interior services. Do not climb trees, collect material, or allow dogs off leash.
Notice these
- Lilac collection
- Bussey Hill
- Conifer Path