Last updated: 3/7/2010
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Street Address
100 E Northwestern Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19031
Mailing Address
100 East Northwestern Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19118

Hours

April - October
Monday - Friday
10 AM - 4 PM
Sunday, Saturday
10 AM - 5 PM
June - August
Monday - Wednesday, Friday
10 AM - 4 PM
Thursday
10 AM - 8:30 PM
Sunday, Saturday
10 AM - 5 PM
November - March
Daily
10 AM - 4 PM
Open every day, except for the following holidays: New Years Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day

Admissions

See details on wewbsite

Staff

Paul Meyers
phone: 215-247-5777
e-mail:
Description

More than 13,000 labeled plants of over 2,500 types are growing in the Arboretum’s living collection. These include representatives of the temperate floras of North America, Asia, and Europe. This historic collection traces its foundation to John Morris’s interest in plants from around the world, and includes plants collected in China by E.H. Wilson at the turn of the century. Many of the Delaware Valley’s "trees-of-record" (the largest of their kind) are found in the Arboretum. Most notable are the katsura, Engler beech, Bender oak, and trident maple.

A catalogue of plants in the living collection is located in the lower gallery of the Widener Visitor Center. All of the plants in the Arboretum are labeled and mapped, and this catalogue can lead you to plants in which you have an interest. Copies of this catalogue are also available in our Gift Shop for $15 each.

History

The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania began in 1887 as "Compton," the summer home of John and Lydia Morris, brother and sister. The I.P. Morris Company, an iron-manufacturing firm founded by their father and later run by John Morris, was a source of family wealth.

John and Lydia Morris laid plans for a school and laboratory at Compton devoted to horticulture and botany. Through the stewardship and vision of the Quaker family, Compton became the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania in 1932. Listed on The National Register of Historic Places, it is an interdisciplinary resource center for the University, and is recognized as the official arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Science, art, and humanities are pursued through a variety of research, teaching, and outreach programs that link the Arboretum to a worldwide effort to nurture the earth's forests, fields and landscapes.

Services
Gift Shop
Special Event Rental
Restaurant
ADA
Wheelchair Accessible
Parking
Restrooms
Exhibitions
Museum Events
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MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Oregon Museum Association 2024 Conference

September 8, 2024 - September 10, 2025

North Bend, Oregon

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

February 18 - 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

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