United States National Arboretum, arboretum in Washington, D.C., operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. The arboretum was established in 1927 by an act of Congress and occupies 446 acres (180 hectares) on the west bank of the Anacostia River. Among the more than 7,000 kinds of plants are special collections of azaleas, bonsai, camellias, hollies, apple trees, and slow-growing conifers. The arboretum also features the National Grove of State Trees and houses the original columns from the old East Portico of the U.S. Capitol. The grounds are open to the public and receive more than 500,000 visitors each year.
The United States National Arboretum is a major institute for botanical research and has satellite locations in Maryland and Tennessee. The arboretum houses a significant botanical library and an herbarium with over 650,000 preserved specimens. Research is wide-ranging but largely horticultural and focuses on ornamental trees, shrubs, turf grasses, and flowering herbs.