Arboretum Gaston Allard

About

The Arboretum Gaston Allard (7 hectares), also known as the Arboretum d'Angers and formally the Arboretum de la Maulévrie, is a municipal arboretum located at 9, rue du Château d'Orgement, Angers, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France. It's open daily. The arboretum was begun in 1863 by botanist Gaston Allard (1838-1918) within the closure Maulévrie, which was then his home.

He continued planting until his death in 1918. The property was disposed to the city in 1960, and its form home now houses the Botany Department of the Museum of Natural Sciences of Angers. Today the arboreum contains an excellent collection of trees: approximately 4,300 species represent 1,600 taxa, including 705 taxa of conifers and 50 of oaks, with notable specimens of Quercus variabilis, Pseudocydonia sinensis, and Tilia mongolica.

In 1980 the arboretum was increased with a national collection of hydrangeas, which now contains approximately 750 taxa. Three new gardens have been added: a shade garden (2000 m2), test garden (4000 m2), and garden of the five senses (1200 m2). All told these gardens contain about 20,000 plants.

The arboretum also contains a major herbarium of more than 350,000 species dating...