Screenshot of the home page of the Arboretum Explorer, showing the introduction and search function.

You can now explore the living plant collections in the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens with our new interactive Arboretum Explorer tool! This mobile-friendly tool replaces our former Plant Finder map and aims to provide the most updated plant collections data to the public and better support the visitor experience. You can explore the collection via the Search, Map, and Browse tabs at the top of the page. Read on for more information about how to use the tool!

Search Tab

Use the Search tab to look up plants by name, genus, family, or garden location by typing or using the drop down menus.

A screenshot of the Search tab of the Arboretum Explorer tool, showing the results that are returned when searching for "Acer - Maple" in the Genus dropdown.

Click on a plant name or image to view more detailed information under the Taxon tab, such as photos, garden location, accession number, life form, hardiness zone, and the native distribution of the plant. Our How to Read Our Plant Labels page is another resources that can help you learn more about plant names, native distributions, and how to read our plant labels in the gardens.

A screenshot of the Arboretum Explorer tool showing detailed plant information being displayed under the Taxon tab at the top of the page.

You may also notice that some species have associated web links that you can click on to find out even more information about a plant! Our curatorial team is working to populate our web library to include this information for more taxa in the future.

A screenshot of the Arboretum Explorer tool showing links to additional resources in the Taxon tab for learning about wild bee balm.

Map Tab

Use the Map tab to zoom in on gardens, beds, or individual plants (as noted by orange and yellow circles). The red circle that may appear on the map represents your current location in the gardens. Please remember to allow your browser to use your location data when using this wayfinding feature!

A screenshot of the Arboretum Explorer tool showing the map that is displayed under the map tab.

When you click an individual plant’s location in the gardens, you will see more detailed information about the plant.

A screenshot of the Arboretum Explorer tool, showing the additional information that is displayed when you click on an individual plant on the map.

Browse Tab

Use the Browse tab to search a gallery of plant image cards, filtered alphabetically for scientific plant names.

A screenshot of the Arboretum Explorer tool showing the results that are listed when you click on the letter A under the Browse tab.

Arboretum Explorer will be updated accordingly as plants are added to the collections and the gardens expand. You can look forward to more images, locations, plant descriptions, commemorative items (such as benches, trees, and plaques), tours, and more as our curatorial team continues to collect and catalogue data about our collections. We are excited to share this new tool with you and hope that it enhances your garden experience!