What is an Arboretum?

tree in front of Mackay Mines

John Claudius Loudon in 1806 defined an arboretum as a site where trees and other woody plants are deliberately cultivated for scientific, educational, and aesthetic purposes.

The University of Nevada, Reno was designated a state arboretum by the 1985 Nevada Legislature. The campus is a living collection of plants, trees, shrubs, flowers, ornamentals and native flora-with many designated areas on campus open to the public for enjoyment and educational pursuits. The wide variety of trees on campus represents over 60 genera and about 200 species, many with several cultivars present. Thirty-six stately elms line the Main Quad, located just north of Morrill Hall, the oldest building on campus.

Featured areas of interest include the Cherry Blossom Garden, the Benson Gardens, the Main Quad, Albert E. Hilliard Foliage Quad, Jimmie's Garden, the Fleischmann Agriculture Quad, the Merriam A. Brown Rose Garden, the Hettich Garden, and Manzanita Lake.

NRS527.330 Establishment; purpose; regulation of the state arboretum

  1. The board of regents of the University of Nevada shall establish a state arboretum at each of the universities within the University and Community College System of Nevada to increase the knowledge and appreciation of the public of flora indigenous to Nevada and from other areas and to provide a place where they may be planted and cultivated as memorials.
  2. The board of regents shall adopt regulations for the establishment and maintenance of the arboreta. (Added to NRS by 1985, 652; A 1993, 412)

Officers of the Arboretum

Raymond Needham, chair
784-6837; mail stop 205
needham@unr.edu

Todd Borman , vice chair
682-8010; mail stop 322
borman@unr.edu