The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden has put selected treasures from its rare book room online and has created a new experience for Arboretum visitors. Now visitors to this popular southern California landmark can compare 19th-century botanical illustrations to living plants in the Arboretum’s collection.
The Arboretum Library has about 500 books in its Rare Book Room. The plants featured in the new Rare Book Walk are plants native to Mediterranean climates. Using a smartphone, visitors can click on markers posted on a Google map that reveals a plant’s location in the Arboretum. Accompanying each marker is a brief description of the plant and an illustration from one of the historic botany or horticultural books in the Arboretum’s library.
To see how the Rare Book Walk works with Google Maps, click here.
Learn more about this special project on the Arboretum’s website.
About the Arboretum
The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden is a 127-acre botanical garden and historic site. It serves as the site for many garden-related events, including GROW! A Garden Festival. The Arboretum is a popular filming location and has served as a backdrop to many films, television shows and commercials. It is also home to the botanical illustration program founded by Olga Eysymontt. To view the current schedule of botanical art classes, visit the Arboretum’s listing at Classes Near You > Southern California.
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