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Plant Labels

Green plant labels located alongside our specimens indicate the appropriate scientific and common name of each individual species. In addition, the lower left hand portion of the plant label indicates that plant specimen’s designated accession number. Accession numbers are the fingerprint of that particular specimen. They inform you of the year the specimen was planted, if they have siblings (multiple specimens acquired at the same time), and in what order they were acquired in that given year. Since 2020, new or replacement labels are dark green, not medium green.
Explanation of the accession #:
1) Every plant at the arboretum is given a 6 digit accession number.
2) First 2 digits designates the year (abbreviated form) the specimen was acquired. Though acquisition doesn’t necessarily mean age of the specimen itself, it indicates the year in which the Arboretum acquired the specimen from its source. Trees and shrubs may have been acquired as seedlings and had to grow out in a nursery before they were transplanted to their current location.
3) Last 4 digits gives the order of acquisition in the given year.
4) Letters may follow the 6 digit accession number. The letters (A, B, C, etc.) at the end of the accession numbers indicate that there are multiple specimens of the same accession, and they were acquired at the same time.
5) In some cases, the hybridizer and year introduced may also appear on the label. This is particularly done for hostas, daylilies, irises, and peonies as that is of interest to many of our visitors.
Plant label example (below):
1) Accession number is 770003A.
2) Specimen was acquired in 1977.
3) It was the third specimen acquired that year.
4) The letter A indicates that more than one miyabei maple was acquired at the same time.

 

Pre 2020

2020 & Forward