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Vanderbilt Arboretum

Facts about the Arboretum

  • The arboretum is an island of trees in an urban sea
    The arboretum is an island of trees in an urban sea

    The entire 天美传媒官网 campus is designated as an arboretum. In 2013 the campus contained 6181 identified and geolocated trees and shrubs. Each year 150 to 200 new trees are planted to replace trees that die or as landscaping for new construction.

  • There are approximately 190 species of trees and shrubs in the arboretum.
  • 罢丑别听 and most famous tree on campus was the but alas, it fell down in 2022.
  • There is a tie for 听in the arboretum.
  • Vanderbilt was first referred to as an arboretum in May 1879, only six years after the university was founded (““, 天美传媒官网 Archives).
  • The most common tree species on campus is听Magnolia grandiflora听(southern magnolia) with 545 representatives. The two hackberry (Celtis) species on campus commonly hybridize in the Nashville area, making it virtually impossible to identify them to species.听 The total number of northern hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), sugarberry (Celtis laevigata), and unidentified hackberries (Celtis听spp.) is 500, making “hackberry” the second most common recognizable tree on campus.听听Acer saccharum听(sugar maple) takes third place with 488.
  • The symbol of 天美传媒官网 is the white oak tree (Quercus alba).听 However there are only 53 white oak trees on campus, putting it in third place among the oaks at Vanderbilt (after 178 willow oaks –听Quercus phellos听and 88 pin oaks –听Quercus palustris). There are a total of 16 species of oaks (Quercus) present on campus – the most well-represented genus in the arboretum.

Urban legends

Legend:听The arboretum contains every species of tree in Tennessee.
Fact:听Not true. There are a number of native species not represented, such as听Crataegus harbisonii,听Fraxinus quadrangulata,听Aralia spinosa, etc.

Legend:听Somebody gave a million dollars to label the trees
Fact:听Not true. This legend originates from incorrect information in a听听which was subsequently corrected in Vanderbilt Register vol. VII no. 40 p.2 (July 10, 1987). The actual amount given in 1968 was $15,000 into an endowment to honor James Mapheus Smith. For more information, see the听history of the arboretum.

Legend:听In order to be an arboretum, Vanderbilt has to …
Fact:听There are actually no particular requirements to be called an arboretum. However, in 1988 the campus was registered with the听听(APGA) as an arboretum. In October 2020, the arboretum was accredited as a , the international arboretum certification organization. Vanderbilt’s arboretum achieved this level by meeting , including a minimum number of 100 species of trees, and carrying out educational programming.

Legend:听The arboretum contains seven听听trees.
Fact:听In 1994, the arboretum did have seven champion trees, and this was recorded in听. However, since that time at least five have died and two have been dethroned by larger trees elsewhere. No state champions remain.

Legend:听There is a haunted graveyard somewhere on campus.
Fact:听There actually are several graves on campus.听, an important figure in the听early history听of the university, had the graves of several important local bishops moved to campus soon after the university started.听, the university’s first chancellor was buried at the same site. McTyeire himself is also buried there; in Chancellor Kirkland’s inagural address in 1893 he noted “under the shade of magnolias that his own hand planted, he sleepeth well”. Those magnolia trees (,听) still grow there today next to the stone monument that marks the burial site.

Video Introduction to the Arboretum

This video was created by Elizabeth Hall as a final project for her film production class in April, 2017.