The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is a museum of trees teaching the world about plants.

  • Elepidote Rhododendron 573-62*A
  • Felty Lilac 446-28*A
  • Wilson Spirea 20493*B
  • Vilmorin Dove Tree 5159*A
  • Korean Paulownia 1703-77*E
  • Caucasian Spruce 17639*B
  • Wilson Pearlbush 11626*C
  • Rhododendron Scintillation Elepidote
    Elepidote Rhododendron 573-62*A
  • Cluster of pale pink, star-shaped flowers blooming on a branch with green leaves in the background, likely photographed in natural sunlight.
    Felty Lilac 446-28*A
  • Close-up of small white flowers and unopened buds clustered on green stems, with green leaves and a blurred natural background.
    Wilson Spirea 20493*B
  • A close-up of a white dove tree flower with a dark center, surrounded by green leaves and sunlight filtering through the foliage.
    Vilmorin Dove Tree 5159*A
  • Close-up of pale purple flowers with delicate, ruffled petals and subtle purple veins, blooming in clusters under sunlight. Green foliage and a hint of blue sky are visible in the blurred background.
    Korean Paulownia 1703-77*E
  • Evergreen tree branches with clusters of small, bright pink buds among green needle-like leaves, creating a vivid contrast against the dark foliage background.
    Caucasian Spruce 17639*B
  • Close-up of delicate white flowers with green centers blooming on a bush, surrounded by green leaves and branches, with a blurred blue sky and trees in the background.
    Wilson Pearlbush 11626*C
May 17
A white woman with short grey hair next to a cover of Birds Up Close

Birds Up Close by Lorna Gibson

Have you ever wondered how a duck's feathers repel water, or how the structure of a bird's bones enables them to fly? Materials Science professor Lorna Gibson has spent years researching the physics and math of how birds work. Join her for a talk on her new book, Birds Up Close: An Engineer Explores their Hidden Wonders and get a deep dive into the incredible world of birds.

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What’s New

Three people hug a large tree trunk

Plants and People

Get To Know a Tree

Arnold Arboretum Director and Arnold Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology William (Ned) Friedman teaches an innovative first-year Harvard seminar titled Tree that invites students to form meaningful, firsthand connections with individual trees to transform their relationship with the natural world. See the course syllabus and development a new friendship in our landscape.

Tree Seminar Syllabus
spring program guide cover

Your Landscape for Learning

Spring Programs

View our spring 2026 program catalog and register for practical classes, creative workshops, theme tours, wildlife explorations, and wellness programs at the Arboretum.

Spring Program Guide
Hu Xiansu

Legacies in the Landscape

Celebrating Hu Xiansu

Hu Xiansu (H. H. Hu), a pioneering botanist who laid the foundation for modern plant taxonomy in China, earned his doctorate at Harvard 100 years ago. His groundbreaking identification of the “living fossil” dawn redwood and leadership in creating China’s botanical institutions cemented his legacy as one of the most influential figures in 20th-century botany.

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View of the Washington Street entrance

An Entrance Revitalized

Washington Street Gate Renewal

With completion of donor-funded renovations to the Washington Street entrance nearing, the gate into Bussey Brook Meadow and Blackwell Footpath have reopened to visitors and green transit commuters. Additional landscape work at Washington Street will continue this fall.

Washington Street Gate

Stories

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Today’s Virtual Walks

Director’s Tour

Director’s Tour

Experience the Arnold Arboretum’s world-class living collections from Director Ned Friedman’s perspective. Take this tour online or use the page for self-guided exploration while visiting the Arboretum in person.
120 mins Medium 2.5 miles
Introductory Tour

Introductory Tour

This half-mile Introductory Tour features stories about the Arboretum’s history, mission, and research endeavors. If you’re at the Arboretum, click here to take a version of this tour with Expeditions, our mobile web app.
40 mins Easy 0.5 miles
A Walk Through Time, Part 1

A Walk Through Time, Part 1

Walk with Landscape Architect Rosetta S. Elkin and Arboretum Archivist Lisa E. Pearson.
20 mins An easy walk with several hills, accessible for mobility impaired visitors .25 miles
Explorers Garden Tour

Explorers Garden Tour

This quarter-mile tour through the Explorers Garden features stories from the Arboretum’s century and a half of collecting plants around the world. If you’re at the Arboretum, click here to take a version of this tour with Expeditions, our mobile web app.
45 mins Easy .25 miles

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Plants & Collections

12488*BMap it ↗

Paperbark Maple

Scientific Name
Acer griseum

A remarkable and rare species native to central China, this maple is most known for its striking copper-colored papery bark. Plant collector Ernest Henry Wilson introduced it to North America in 1907. The Arboretum is home to some of the oldest paperbark maples outside of China.

View plant bio
1171-89-AMap it ↗

Florida Yew

Scientific Name
Taxus floridana

The Florida yew is a critically endangered species, native to the Florida Panhandle. This specimen, wild-collected in 1989, endures the cold Boston climate.

View plant bio

Explorers Garden

Conifer Collection

Maple Collection

Bussey Brook Meadow

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Community

We are educators, associates, gardeners, and everyone in between.