A History of Native Plants

A History of Native Plants. . , The Garden's first horticultural display of native plants once occupied this site., The New York Botanical Garden has a long history of documenting, conserving, and displaying the native plants of northeastern North America. Founding director Nathaniel Lord Britton (1859-1934) selected the Botanical Garden's site because it included an ancient forest with healthy populations of native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers., Britton's wife and scientific colleague, Elizabeth Knight Britton (1858-1934), was a founding member of the Wildflower Preservation Society. She championed the preservation and study of wildflowers. As a result, this site, where native flowering plants were first displayed, was named in her honor in 1940., Starting in 1896, Nathaniel Lord Britton co-authored the seminal scientific text describing all of the plants that grow spontaneously in the region extending from southern Virginia north to the maritime provinces of Canada and west to the edge of the Great Plains. Sixty-five years later, this text was revised by Henry Gleason (1882-1975) and Arthur Cronquist (1919-92), to Garden scientists., The Garden's commitment to the study, conservation, and display of native species continues today. Garden scientists are revising Britton's landmark text on native plants, using the latest molecular methods and bringing it into the 21st century. The Native Plant Garden continues to introduce visitors to the many virtues of native plants.