Strybing Arboretum Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is a large botanical garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Its 55 acres include over 16,000 plants belonging to some 7,000 species, making it one of the largest on the West Coast.
Originally laid out in the 1890s by park supervisor John McLaren, funding was insufficient to begin construction until Helene Strybing willed funds in 1926. Planting was begun in 1937 with WPA funds supplemented by local donations, and the arboretum officially opened in May of 1940. As a part of Golden Gate Park, it is officially managed by the city of San Francisco, but the volunteers of the Strybing Arboretum Society play an important role in maintaining the collection.
The arboretum continues to actively acquire plants; in 2003 it received 546 accessions totalling over 4,500 individuals.
The gardens are organized into several specialized areas:
- Mediterranean
- California native plants
- John Muir Nature Trail
- Redwood Trail
- Central coastal Chile
- Cape Province (South Africa)
- Southwestern Australia
- Mediterranean Region
- Mild-temperate climate
- Eastern Australia
- New Zealand
- Moon-viewing Garden - a Japanese design
- Takamine Garden - Asian plants
- Montane tropic
- New World cloud forest
- Old World (Asian) cloud forest
- Vireya rhododendrons
- Special collections