The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is a museum of trees teaching the world about plants. Eastern Redbud 9042*A Magnolia amoena 385-2012*A Japanese Larch 11276*R Crataegus x disperma 6770*A Tschonosk Maple 326-97*B Korean Abelialeaf 141-2002*B Siberian Larch 269-77*A Eastern Redbud 9042*A Magnolia amoena 385-2012*A Japanese Larch 11276*R Crataegus x disperma 6770*A Tschonosk Maple 326-97*B Korean Abelialeaf 141-2002*B Siberian Larch 269-77*A Featured Event May 10 Lilac Sunday Experience the springtime bloom of our renowned lilac collection with Lilac Sunday, offering fun, free explorations for the entire family. The event features ongoing tours of the Arboretum’s lilacs as well as art, family activities, and picnicking on this day only. Visitors may also enjoy a host of self-guided tours, including a lilac tour, via the Arboretum website and its Expeditions app. 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM See all events → What’s New 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 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 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. 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 Feature Education Art Botany Living Collections New York Times News Phenology Photography Starting at Harvard and Falling for Your First Tree Meet Our Staff: Jessica Pederson Public Programs Botanical Gardens Children’s Education Community Ecology Education Environmental Justice Family Horticulture Landscape Philanthropy Teacher Education Visitor Engagement Life Changing Lessons in a Tree Community Art Biodiversity Botany Health and Well-being Landscape Living Collections New York Times News Phenology Photography Arb/Art Double Take: Pines Curation Plant Ambassadors Arnoldia Editorial Letter from the Director The Tree’s Knees Director’s Posts Biodiversity Botany Ecology Horticulture Landscape Living Collections Read more stories → Today’s Virtual Walks 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 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 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 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 See all virtual walks → Plants & Collections 12488*B Map 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-A Map 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 See more Plants & Collections  → Community We are educators associates gardeners , and everyone in between. Community Spotlight Sarah Nechamen, Manager of Adult Programming and Events “I love creating programs that get people excited about plants and the Arboretum and seeing the participants’ reactions first-hand. When someone feels really inspired, or excited, or awestruck because of a program I planned, there’s no better feeling.” Community Spotlight Darcy Foster, Individual Giving Associate “I love connecting members and donors with the landscape and the Arboretum’s mission. Together, we can ensure the Arboretum’s dynamic landscape grows in perpetuity.” Community Spotlight Emily Hitchcock, Greenhouse Gardener “I am so grateful to come to work every day in a place where so many people come to find joy, relaxation, healing, and learning. Working with seeds and plants in the beginning stages of their lives is a constant reminder of the miraculous and complex life cycles that plants carry out all around us. ”