The Arboretum at Flagstaff
Encyclopedia
The Arboretum at Flagstaff is a 200 acres (80.9 ha) arboretum
that is home to 2,500 species of mostly drought-tolerant adapted and native plants representative of the high-desert Colorado Plateau
, home to the Grand Canyon
and Zion National Park
. It is located 3.8 miles (6.1 km) south of U.S. Route 66
on Woody Mountain Road, on the west side of Flagstaff, Arizona
, USA
. The facility is located at 7,150' in elevation, making it one of the highest-elevation public gardens in the United States. The Arboretum is known for its extensive collection of the genus Penstemon.
The Arboretum was originally forest and a working ranch, and the home of Frances McAllister in the late 1960s. In 1981 she began her long-held dream of creating an arboretum when she donated the land and created its financial endowment
.
The Arboretum was visited by over 23,000 people in 2009. The Arboretum is also home to the Merriam-Powell Research Station
.
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
that is home to 2,500 species of mostly drought-tolerant adapted and native plants representative of the high-desert Colorado Plateau
Colorado Plateau
The Colorado Plateau, also called the Colorado Plateau Province, is a physiographic region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. The province covers an area of 337,000 km2 within western Colorado, northwestern New Mexico,...
, home to the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
and Zion National Park
Zion National Park
Zion National Park is located in the Southwestern United States, near Springdale, Utah. A prominent feature of the park is Zion Canyon, which is 15 miles long and up to half a mile deep, cut through the reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the Virgin River...
. It is located 3.8 miles (6.1 km) south of U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
on Woody Mountain Road, on the west side of Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The facility is located at 7,150' in elevation, making it one of the highest-elevation public gardens in the United States. The Arboretum is known for its extensive collection of the genus Penstemon.
The Arboretum was originally forest and a working ranch, and the home of Frances McAllister in the late 1960s. In 1981 she began her long-held dream of creating an arboretum when she donated the land and created its financial endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
.
The Arboretum was visited by over 23,000 people in 2009. The Arboretum is also home to the Merriam-Powell Research Station
Research station
A research station is a station built for the purpose of conducting scientific research. Research station sites might include outer space and oceans. Many nations have research stations in Antarctica; Showa Station, Halley and Troll are examples...
.