Adkins Arboretum

Purpose: Supporting Lifelong Learning Preservation of the Delmarva Peninsula's natural heritage hinges on the public's understanding of the role of native plant communities in the region's cultural development and ecological integrity. The Adkins Arboretum's collection is central to its mission and is its most important asset for teaching an appreciation for the ornamental and environmental value of native plants. The arboretum has more than 500 native plant species and seven plant community types on its 400-acre site. The arboretum will launch a comprehensive two-part Native Plant Education Initiative that will include (1) creating a native plant database by cataloging, digitizing, and mapping native plant accession records and plant communities and (2) making the database accessible to the general public through the Arboretum's Web site and a public access computer station. The database builds on a preliminary database of the plant species grown in display gardens, restored wetlands, and meadows, and specimens that are propagated in the Arboretum's native plant nursery. It includes information gathered in a comprehensive botanical survey conducted onsite in 1998 to 1999. The database project will make the Arboretum's collection more accessible to the general public and the scientific community, teaching an appreciation for the ornamental and environmental value of native plants.