Arnold Arboretum

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

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The Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Massachusetts, established in 1872, is the oldest public arboretum in North America and a National Historic Landmark.

It originated from land and financial gifts by Benjamin Bussey and James Arnold and was designed through a collaboration between Harvard botanist Charles Sprague Sargent and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. The arboretum covers 281 acres as part of Boston's Emerald Necklace park system and serves both as a beautiful public landscape and a center for botanical research.

It holds a rich collection of temperate trees, shrubs, and vines, particularly from eastern North America and Asia, accumulated through plant collecting expeditions. The arboretum has important historical ties with early conservation efforts and public education, and in recent decades it has continued to advance horticultural research, with facilities like the Weld Hill Research Building supporting scientific study.

It remains open year-round for public enjoyment and study, blending natural beauty, science, and history in an urban setting.