Arb Tour
The Oswald Visitor Center is one of the largest public buildings in Minnesota to do what?
A) Use solar panels for all its energy needs B) Display seasonal floral designs C) Harness the power of squirrels to run fans for summer cooling D) Use geothermal technology for heating and cooling
D) By tapping into the natural temperatures just below the Earth's surface, this geothermal heating and cooling source is a free, renewable and low-impact system and a sustainable alternative to burning fossil fuels.
Here at the HRC, we have a live camera set up where you can watch what species raise young? A) Bald Eagle B) Osprey C) Barred Owl D) Squirrel
B) You can watch our Osprey Cam live on the Aboretum's website, the birds typically begin nesting in April.
Which organization does our PCP program have an active program partnership with? A) MN Department of Natural Resources B) North American Orchid Conservation Center C) The Smithsonian Museum D) All of the above
D) All of the above, plus more! (Anoka Sandplains Rare Plant Rescue group, Center for Plant Conservation, US Forest Service, etc)
What pesky challenge did we face in the greenhouse this year?
A) a nosey raccoon B) hungry squirrels C) an inquisitive deer D) seed-stashing nuthatches (birds)
B) Hungry squirrels digging up plants. Time for a greenhouse cat?
What year did the Plant Conservation Program start at the Arboretum?
2013, well unless you count the seed storage freezer as the start of the program, which appeared in 2012
What does the Arboretum have 12 of?
A) Waterfalls B) Greenhouses C) Miles of trails D) Gardens
C) The Arboretum has 12 miles of walking trails and paths to explore! The experience changes seasonally so check them out!
In what year was the HRC (Horticultural Research Center) established?
A) 1908 B) 1958 C) 1962 D) 1974
A) The HRC was established in 1908, (before the Arboretum was born) making it one of the oldest horticultural research institutions in the upper midwest.
What federally endangered species is only found in the wild in 3 MN counties and spreads almost exclusively vegetatively (rarely ever producing a fruit)? A) White trout lily B) Dwarf Trout Lily C) Yellow Trout Lily D) Small Flowered Trout Lily
B) Dwarf Trout Lily (Erythronium propullans) plants, collected at the Arboretum from 5 populations, are monitored by the PCP team every spring.
What species of orchid was the first to flower for our program when grown from seed? A) Small white lady's-slipper B) Showy lady's-slipper C)Small yellow lady's-slipper D) Ball cactus
A) Small white lady's-slipper (Cypripedium candidum) was the first seed-grown orchid to bloom for our program in 2019. BONUS POINTS: If someone mentions Spiranthes cernua, we probably did have those bloom before 2019, but since those are weedy I don't particularly count those!
What plant is on the Plant Conservation Program's logo?
A) Small yellow lady's-slipper B) Small white lady's-slipper C) Greater yellow lady's slipper D) Showy lady's-slipper
A) Small yellow lady's slipper [According to Native American folklore, the lady's slipper is associated with a legend about a woman who braved harsh winter conditions to bring medicine back to her village, leaving behind footprints that turned into lady's slipper flowers]
In what year was the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum was established?
A) 1908 B)1956 C)1958 D) 1974
C) The Arboretum was established in 1958, 2 years after the Garden Club of Minneapolis approached the Horticultural Society with the idea for an aboretum in 1956.
What University of Minnesota program is one of the oldest continuous programs in North America, dating back to 1878?
A) Fruit Breeding B) Plant Conservation C) Landscape Plant Research D) Weeding
A) The fruit breeding program has introduced over 100 fruit varieties that thrive in cold northern climates
Which HRC research program has the most recorded onsite volunteer hours in 2024? A) Plant Conservation Program B) Apple Growing C) Woody Shrub Research D) Orchard Research
A) The Plant Conservation Program to date has over 1300 logged volunteer hours for activities such as research, seed processing, and greenhouse support, that's roughly half the total volunteer hours for the HRC! Wow, Thank You!
Who built the research and display raised beds for our program? A) Winkin, Blinkin and Nod B) Huey, Louey and Dewey C) Marvin, Dwight and Ole D) Tom, Dick and Harry
C) Marvin Grimm and his friends Dwight and Ole
When bringing a newly prepared seed accession from the top floor seed cleaning station to the basement seed bank freezer, how many steps will you need to go down?
A) 24 steps B) 27 steps C) 29 steps D) 33 steps
D) 33 steps of stair-blasting exercise! It's 17 steps to the second floor, 7 steps to the first floor, and 9 steps to the basement.
The oldest rare book or journal in the Anderson Horticultural Library collection dates back to when?
A) 1800's B) 1700's C) 1600's D) 1500's
D) The library has rare books and journals on horticulture, botany, garden design, botanical art and illustration, trees, birds, flowers, and other natural history subjects from the early 1500s to the present.
The University of MN HRC is known for its apple variety research, and has released 29 apple varieties since its inception. Which of the following is NOT the name of an apple variety introduced by the HRC?
A) Oriole B) Zestar C) Flame D) Gala
D) Although the HRC has developed many notable apple varieties (Honeycrisp!), the Gala apple was not one and was developed in New Zealand.
How many orchid mother plates were created in 2024? A) 670 B) 760 C) 810 D) enough to start a flower power revolution!
C) 810 orchid mother plates! 269 were Cypripedium plates; 24 are for the Classroom Cultivation project; 34 plates used seed collected in 2015, and some of that seed germinated!
In 2024, what does 3,100 represent? A) Number of non-orchid seedlings that were potted B) Number of Showy Lady's-slipper seedlings that were potted C) Both non-orchid and orchid seedlings potted by PCP D) All of the potted plants in the HRC greenhouse
B) There were 3,100 showy lady's-slipper seedlings that were potted in 2024! And another 2,600 non-orchid seedlings potted!
Excluding orchids, which species of our 2024 seed collections had the highest total seed count altogether?
A. Besseya bulli (Kittentails) B. Oxypolis rigidior (Cowbane) C. Nuttalanthus canadensis (Old-field Toadflax) D. wait, why can't we include orchids?
B) Oxypolis rigidior (Cowbane) is an uncommon wetland species. We collected (and counted!) 18,408 seeds this year, with Besseya bullii (Kittentails) coming in second with 12,823 seeds.
Who was the first Director of the Aboretum?
Dr. Leon Snyder [Previously the head of the Department of Horticultural Science and superintendent of the University Fruit Breeding Farm].
What is the name of the newest apple variety released in 2023?
Kudos on the new Kudos apple!
How many fungal cultures were subcultured (subplated) in 2024? (not counting plates that were subcultured more than once)
A) 370 B) 470 C) 570 D) Enough to fill the cabinet, but there wasn't mush-room!
B) 470 fungal subplates! Whew, that's a lot of fun with the fungi!
Including seeds and living plants, how many species does Plant Conservation Program have preserved at the Arboretum?
B) 127 species are preserved by the Plant Conservation Program here at the Arb! Fun fact, there are over 300 rare vascular plant species in MN, gotta catch them all!
How many new volunteers joined the PCP onsite team this year?
4 new volunteers! (Robert Edstrom, Daniela Mejia, Skyla Lewis, Laura Baxley)