Dawes Arboretum

src: dawesarb.org

The Dawes Arboretum is a non-profit arboretum located 30 miles east of Columbus in Newark, Ohio. The Dawes Arboretum has nearly 2,000 acres (8 km²) of plant collections, gardens and natural areas. The site includes twelve miles (19 km) of hiking trails and a four-mile (6 km) auto tour.

Founded in 1929 by Beman and Bertie Dawes, the Dawes Arboretum is dedicated to increasing knowledge of trees, arboreal history and the natural world. Today, the Arboretum continues its founders mission through education, conservation, research and maintaining plant collections. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

Video Dawes Arboretum

Features

• The Dawes Arboretum's Japanese Garden features a meditation house, pond and rock garden. Trees and shrubs are pruned to maintain the Japanese-style Garden.
• An outlook tower located on the south side of The Arboretum provides a viewing point. At the outlook tower, visitors can see views of The Arboretum's hedge letters.
• A bonsai collection is located in the courtyard adjacent to the Visitors Center. The collection features many bonsai plants, including a 100-year-old specimen.
• The Arboretum features one of the northernmost native Bald-cypress swamps in North America. Visitors can walk through the cypress swamp using a boardwalk. Spotted salamanders are present in the swamp from late winter through spring.
• The Dutch Fork Wetlands is a recent addition to The Arboretum. Wetlands are one of the most diverse ecosystems, and mammals, birds and insects make the wetlands their home. Visitors either explore the wetlands alone or take a guided tour.
• The central grounds include plant collections, ponds and walking trails.

Maps Dawes Arboretum

Plant collections

The Arboretum features plants tolerant of central Ohio's climate. As of December 2004, its plant records database tracks 21,490 plants, of which 16,488 are planted on the grounds. (2,829 of those individuals are wild of known origin.) These records represent 5,701 individual plant names (taxa) of which 4,635 are planted on the grounds. The taxa represent 234 genera, 63 families, and 1741 species, hybrids or infraspecific names. 6,260 of those names are verified by taxonomic descriptions. The herbarium consists of 838 vouchers.

Major collections include the following, with counts current as of December 2004:

• Conifer - 6,792 recorded specimens of conifers, representing 1,636 unique names (taxa). These names include 225 species, hybrids or infraspecific taxa.
• Crab apple - 1,301 recorded specimens of the genus Malus (not including domestic apples), representing 167 unique names (taxa). These names include 158 species, hybrids or infraspecific taxa.
• Holly - 1,098 recorded specimens of the genus Ilex, representing 433 unique names (taxa). These names include 59 species, hybrids or infraspecific taxa.
• Oak - 610 recorded specimens of the genus Quercus, representing 99 unique names (taxa). These names include 63 species, hybrids or infraspecific taxa.
• Rhododendron and Azalea - 1,857 recorded specimens of the genus Rhododendron (which includes azaleas), representing 649 unique names (taxa). These names include 628 species, hybrids or infraspecific taxa.
• Spiraea - 276 recorded specimens of the genus Spiraea, representing 63 unique names (taxa). These names include 32 species, hybrids or infraspecific taxa.
• Viburnum - 469 recorded specimens of the genus Viburnum, representing 129 unique names (taxa). These names include 62 species, hybrids or infraspecific taxa.
• Witch-hazel - 170 recorded specimens of the genus Hamamelis, representing 78 unique names (taxa). These names include 12 species, hybrids or infraspecific taxa.

An interactive catalog of specimens at The Dawes Arboretum is available.

A number of people have dedicated trees at the Arboretum, including explorers Richard E. Byrd and Lincoln Ellsworth; sports figures Red Grange, Gene Tunney, Bobby Jones, and Jesse Owens; Admiral William Halsey, Admiral Ernest King, and General John Pershing; and others including Buckminster Fuller, John Glenn, Osa Johnson, Fritz Kreisler, Wiley Post, and Orville Wright.

src: publicgardens.org

See also

• List of botanical gardens in the United States
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Licking County, Ohio

src: dawesarb.org

References

src: trekohio.com

External links

• Dawes Arboretum official site

Source of article : Wikipedia