Dominion Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Central Experimental Farm

What is Dominion Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Central Experimental Farm?

The Dominion Arboretum and Botanic Garden, located in Ottawa, is Canada’s oldest arboretum. Established in 1889 as part of the Plant Research Institute of Agriculture Canada, it spans 40 hectares (99 acres) and houses approximately 10,000 types of plants.¹

The site serves both as a public display and a center for scientific research. It features specialized collections of lilacs, lilies, flowering crabs, and hedge plants. The facility includes three greenhouses—the largest of which is dedicated to research—and an herbarium that holds roughly 695,000 preserved plant specimens for reference.¹

What is the difference between an arboretum and a botanical garden?

While the terms are often used interchangeably, there is a distinct difference in their primary focus. An arboretum is a specialized collection dedicated specifically to the cultivation of woody plants, such as trees and shrubs, for scientific and educational purposes.²³

In contrast, a botanical garden is a broader institution focused on the culture, study, and exhibition of a wide variety of plants. Modern botanical gardens typically aim to blend aesthetic appeal with taxonomic order, often maintaining extensive, labeled collections that illustrate relationships between different plant groups.⁴³

Because of their specialized nature, an arboretum may exist as an independent entity or function as a specific section within a larger botanical garden. Both institutions serve as vital cultural and scientific resources, providing urban populations with access to the natural world and opportunities for environmental education.²³

Why is the Central Experimental Farm important to Canadian history?

The Central Experimental Farm holds significant importance in Canadian history as a foundational institution for the nation’s agricultural development. Established in 1889 under the Department of Agriculture, it served as a critical hub for scientific research aimed at improving farming practices across the country.¹

The site is home to the Dominion Arboretum, which is the oldest of its kind in Canada. By maintaining extensive collections of plants—including lilacs, lilies, and various hedge species—the farm provided the experimental groundwork necessary for understanding plant hardiness and agricultural viability in the Canadian climate. Furthermore, its large-scale research greenhouses and an extensive herbarium containing approximately 695,000 specimens have long supported the systematic study of botany, directly contributing to the advancement of Canadian agricultural science and land management.¹

What is the purpose of an herbarium in scientific research?

An herbarium serves as a vital scientific resource, functioning essentially as a “dictionary” of the plant kingdom. It consists of collections of dried plant specimens that are pressed, mounted on archival paper, and labeled with detailed information regarding their identity, collection site, and habitat.⁵

The primary purposes of an herbarium include:

• Taxonomy and Systematics: Herbaria provide the comparative material necessary to resolve taxonomic disputes, identify new species, and verify the “type specimens” upon which scientific names are based.⁵
• Broad Scientific Research: These collections are essential for studies in ecology, biogeography, ethnobotany, and conservation biology. They allow researchers to document historic plant ranges and locate endangered species.⁵
• Genetic and Palynological Analysis: Specimens serve as sources of DNA for genetic studies and pollen for palynological research, which can provide indirect data on past environmental and climatic conditions.⁵⁶