ANDSCAPE L INES 4

Historic Plant Material Sources INTRODUCTION

In a cultural landscape, a common landscape characteristic is the

vegetation that is either associated with the historical development of

the landscape or resulted from cultural activities on the land. Vegetation that can be linked to an established period of significance and

that has remained relatively unchanged over time adds to the overall

significance of the landscape. The features associated with vegetation

include individual plants and aggregations of plants and plant communities. (See Figure 1.)

Identifying, documenting, and analyzing vegetation is a prerequisite to

preparing a Cultural Landscape Report (CLR). Knowledge of the

vegetation allows a site history to be developed, the existing conditions

of a landscape to be understood, and a treatment plan to be developed. Plants are identified through a site survey or plant inventory and

historic photographs of plants in the landscape. (See Figure 2.) Archeological techniques, such as pollen, phytolith, and macroflora analyses,

may be used to identify nonexistent plants that were integral to cultural

activities in the landscape. Plant identification data may already be

available as a result of a plant inventory conducted prior to a CLR.

Historical research on cultivated plants may be necessary to accurately

identify and date a particular plant. For example, a historic nursery

catalog may contain a description of a plant variety or cultivar and a

date of introduction into cultivation. In other cases it may be necessary

to use horticulture or botany experts to identify particular plants.

To determine the significance of vegetation to the history of a landscape, other site investigation techniques can be used. Tree coring is a

technique used to identify the age of trees to determine whether they

date from a historic period. Historical and contemporary field and

aerial photographs may be analyzed to understand how vegetation has
2 L A N D S C A P E L I N E S

changed. Existing conditions investigation data is

integrated with historical research data to thoroughly understand the significance and integrity of

the vegetation in a landscape.

Intrinsic to the dynamic quality of cultural landscapes

is the concept that plants which once existed have

died and those that still remain will eventually die.

Therefore, in selecting a landscape treatment or

describing treatment guidelines in a CLR, it is

important to consider the replacement of significant

plant material, including the method of replacement

and plant availability. The following section addresses

in-kind replacement of historic plant material and

highlights sources of both historic plant material and

historic plant expertise.

IN-KIND REPLACEMENTS OF

HISTORIC PLANTS

Depending on a plant’s significance in a cultural

landscape, it may be replaced with the following:

• Exact genetic clone of the original. This is

appropriate for rare plant varieties having a

significant association with an individual or

event. (See Figures 3 and 4.)

• Exact taxonomic replacement. This is appropriate for plants with a significant cultural use or

function in a landscape.

• Comparable substitute for the plant’s form and

character. This is appropriate to address known

diseases or environmental changes in a landscape. (See Figure 5.)

Figure 1. This Ginko tree was planted in the early nineteenth century and is an individual plant feature. Vanderbilt Mansion National

Historic Site. (NPS, 1995)
H I S T O R I C P L A N T M A T E R I A L S O U R C E S 3

In-kind replacements of historic plants vary in

availability within the nursery trade, from relatively

common to rare. Availability depends in part on

the particular species of plant being replaced; that

is, whether the desired replacement is a straight

species or a lower taxon, such as a cultivar (a

cultivated variety or a naturally occurring variety).

Straight species are identified only by a generic and

specific binomial Latin name, whereas man-made

cultivars are typically identified by the genus or

species name followed by an English name in single

quotation marks. Naturally occurring varieties are

identified by the species name followed by a Latin

name with no quotation marks.

Figure 2. Plant identification is a prerequisite to an analysis and

evaluation of vegetation for a CLR and can be performed

during a plant inventory. Longfellow National Historic Site.

(NPS, 1993)

Figure 4. Apple fruit from old varieties of apple trees.

Minuteman National Historic Site. (NPS, 1994)

Figure 3. These historic apple trees are associated with Presidents

John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Therefore, in-kind, genetic

replacement of these old varieties is an appropriate treatment.

Adams National Historic Site. (NPS, 1995)

Cultivars

Many cultivated varieties of plants created historically by plant breeders have been rendered extinct

either through hybridization (to create “improved”

cultivars), or lack of perpetuation through vegetative propagation. Some cultivated plant varieties are

highly ephemeral, existing in the nursery trade for

several years or a decade and then being
4 L A N D S C A P E L I N E S

superseded by another cultivar. Cultivars have

come and gone like fashionable styles throughout

the last several centuries of intensive ornamental

plant breeding and nursery production. To some

extent, the first plant species to be introduced into

the United States or collected for cultivation have

had the most cultivars created over time. Particularly popular and common genera or species of

garden plants are most likely to have been “improved” horticulturally over time, and many

cultivars have been created from them.

Cultivars are typically variants on the species of

flower and fruit characteristics, plant size, form, and

disease resistance. Many cultivars no longer exist,

while others are only found in cultivation in a few

historic gardens. Some historic ornamental plant

cultivars and species can be found in botanical

gardens and cultural landscapes, while others are

preserved as germplasm in seed banks. Of great

concern to ecologists and plant experts is the

reduction in plant genetic diversity that results from

the extinction of cultivars, varieties, and species.

Genetic diversity is viewed favorably in the health of

ecosystems, promoting stability and the ability to

resist natural and cultural disturbance. In edible plant

breeding, thousands of varieties have been lost

during the twentieth century in the standardization of

crop plants, particularly for their suitability to mechanized production and for increased crop yield.

Figure 5. Due to the devastating effects of Dutch Elm Disease, the American Elm is often not replaced in-kind, but instead with a

disease resistant cultivar, such as Princeton, or Liberty Bell. The young tree in the foreground is a Liberty Elm cultivar, which replaces a

missing American Elm. A mature straight species American Elm can be seen to the left in the background. Longfellow National Historic

Site. (NPS, 1989)
H I S T O R I C P L A N T M A T E R I A L S O U R C E S 5

Straight Species

Straight species of plants (nonhybridized plants)

may be among the more difficult to find commercially. This is due to the emphasis on plant breeding in commercial horticulture to improve the

visual characteristics of ornamental plants for sale.

A nonhybridized American Ash (Fraxinus

americana), for example, may not be available

from tree nurseries, though numerous cultivars of

the species can be found.

Depending on the relative cultural value or importance of a plant and its significance in a cultural

landscape, the in-kind replacement of a particular

straight species of plant may or may not be important. For straight species of plants that are native to

the United States, native plant nurseries may be

the best source. For rare and endangered native

species, the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC)

is a potential source of plant propagules. The CPC

is a consortium of 25 United States botanical

gardens and arboreta, which conserve listed rare

and endangered native plant species. The CPC at

Missouri Botanical Garden can be contacted at the

following address:

Center for Plant Conservation

Missouri Botanical Garden

P.O. Box 299

St. Louis, MO 63166

343-577-9450

PLANT SOURCES AND PLANT

EXPERTISE

The following list gives sources of both historic

plant material and historic plant expertise. Scott

Kunst, a landscape historian, is an expert on

historic ornamental plant materials. Kunst has

compiled a comprehensive list of commercial

sources for historic ornamental plants throughout

the United States. To obtain the complete Source

List for Historic Seeds and Plants, contact Scott

Kunst at:

Old House Gardens

536 Third Street

Ann Arbor, MI 48103-4957

313-995-1486

The following is an abbreviated list of commercial

sources of historic plant material that Kunst

recommends. (The focus of the list is on garden

ornamentals and not on plants used in kitchen

gardens, orchards, or agriculture.)

Flower and Herb Exchange

3076 North Winn

Decorah, IA 52101

319-382-5990

Old Sturbridge Village

1 Sturbridge Village Road

Sturbridge, MA 01566

508-347-3362

Perennial Pleasures

2 Brickhouse Road

E. Hardwick, VT 05836

802-472-5104
6 L A N D S C A P E L I N E S

Select Seeds

180 Stickney Road

Union, CT 06076

203-684-9310

Thomas Jefferson Center for

Historic Plants—Monticello

P.O. Box 316

Charlottesville, VA 22902

804-984-9816

If a particularly important or culturally valuable

historic plant species or cultivar is difficult to

identify, the services of a historic plant expert

may be necessary. Historic plant experts exist

within horticultural and historical societies,

botanical gardens and arboreta, research

institutions, herbaria, commercial horticulture,

and the cultural landscape preservation field. In

the National Park Service (NPS), the Olmsted

Center for Landscape Preservation may have

the botanical or horticultural expertise to

identify historic ornamental plant species and

cultivars. For more information, contact:

Olmsted Center for

Landscape Preservation

99 Warren Street

Brookline, MA 02146

617-566-1689

Straight species of historic plants may be the easiest

to identify, while the most hybridized plants (in

which the species lineage is so complex that the

cultivar name is given immediately following the

genus name) may be the most difficult. However, in

some cases old cultivars can be identified using

“origination lists” and “cumulative checklists.” These

lists describe the names, appearances, and commercial dates of old cultivars, and they typically

contain all known cultivars of a plant species along

with dates of introduction (or registration) and brief

descriptions.

To replace a plant with a particular cultivar, it may

be necessary to search specialized nurseries,

collectors, botanical gardens, and other cultural

landscapes. It is advisable to examine nursery

plants to determine whether the historic cultivar is

what the label claims it to be. Some cultivars have

been inadvertently substituted over time and

others are simply misidentified. A bibliography of

origination lists and cumulative checklists of

ornamental plants is included at the end of the

text. The reference section is largely derived from

an article by Scott Kunst and Arthur Tucker that

appeared in the APT Bulletin, vol. xxi, no. 2, in

“1989: Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”

The Sourcebook of Cultivar Names, an expanded list of cultivars and pertinent information, has been compiled by Scott Kunst. The

Sourcebook can be obtained through Arnoldia

of the Arnold Arboretum, at the following

address:

Arnoldia

Arnold Arboretum

125 Arborway

Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

617-524-1718
H I S T O R I C P L A N T M A T E R I A L S O U R C E S 7

The following is a list of sources of further expertise and information on historical plants:

Alliance for Historic

Landscape Preservation

82 Wall Street, # 1105

New York, NY 10005

American Association of

Botanical Gardens and Arboreta

786 Church Road

Wayne, PA 19087

610-688-1120

American Daffodil Society

Mary Lou Gripshover

1686 Grey Fox

Milford, OH 45150

Garden Conservancy

P.O. Box 219

Cold Spring, NY 10516

914-265-2029

Heritage Rose Group

Miriam Wilkins

925 Galvin Drive

El Cerrito, CA 94530

510-526-6960

Historic Iris Preservation Society

Ada Godfrey

9 Bradford Street

Foxborough, MA 02035

508-543-2711

National Council for the Conservation of

Plants and Gardens

The Pines—Wisley Garden

Woking, Surrey, GU23 6QB

United Kingdom

44-0483-211-465

New England Garden Society

300 Massachusetts Avenue

Boston, MA 02155

617-536-9280

Southern Garden History Society

Drawer F, Salem Station

Winston-Salem, NC 27108

Wakefield and North of

England Tulip Society

70 Wrethorpe Lane

Wrethorpe, Wakefield

West Yorkshire, WF2 0PT

United Kingdom

HISTORIC PLANT REFERENCES

(ORIGINATION LISTS AND

CUMULATIVE CHECKLISTS)

American Daffodil Society. Daffodil Data Bank.

Unpublished list available from Ms. Leslie Anderson, A.D.S., Route 3, 2302 Byhalia Rd.,

Hernado, MS 38632.

American Hemerocallis Society. Hemerocallis

Checklist, 1893 to July 1, 1957. A.M.S., Mrs.

Geneva Archer, 1522 Nevada Street, Houston,

TX 77006.
8 L A N D S C A P E L I N E S

Australian Geranium Society. Checklist and

Register of Pelargonium Cultivar Names. Mrs. P.

Sladek, Publication Sales Officer, 76 Jocelyn

Street, Chester Hill, NSW, 2162 Australia.

Bardorf, Lynn R. 1987. Boxwood Bulletin 26: 76-81.

Beales, P. 1985. Classic Roses. New York: Holy,

Rinehart and Winston.

Boullemier, L.B. 1985. A Check List of Species,

Hybrids and Cultivars of the Genus Fuchsia.

England: Poole, Blandford.

Conard, H.S. 1905. The Waterlilies. Washington,

DC: Carnegie Institution of Washington.

Coombs, R.E. 1981. Violets. Kent, England:

Croom Helm.

Cumming, R. 1964. The Chrysanthemum Book.

New York: Van Nostrand.

Delano McKelvey, S. 1928. The Lilac. New York:

Macmillan.

Den Ouden, P., and B.K. Boom. 1978. Manual of

Cultivated Conifers Hardy in the Cold- and

Warm-Temperature Zone. Netherlands:

Martinus Nijhoff.

Dobson, B.R. Combined Rose List. Updated

yearly. Beverly R. Dobson, 215 Harriman road,

Irvington, NY 10533.

Durrant, Tom. 1982. The Camellia Story. New

York: Heinemann.

Eisenbeiss, G.K. 1973. International Checklist of

Cultivated Ilex, Part 1, Ilex opaca. Contribution

No. 3. New York: National Arboretum.

Elliston Allen, David. 1969. The Victorian Fern

Craze. London: Hutchinson & Co.

Ewart, R. 1982. The Fuchsia Lexicon. New York:

Van Nostrand Reinhold.

Fairchild, Lee. 1953. A Complete Book of the

Gladiolus. New York: Farrar, Straus and Young.

Fenderson, G.K. 1986. A Synoptic Guide to the

Genus Primula. Lawrence, KS: Allen Press.

Galle, F.C. 1987. Azaleas. Portland, OR: Timber

Press.

Gelderen, D.M., and J.R.P. van Hoey Smith.

1986. Conifers. Portland, OR: Timber Press.

Genders, R. 1959. Primroses. New York: St.

Martins Press.

Goudey, C.J. 1985. Maidenhair Ferns in Cultivation. Portland, OR: Lothian Publishing Co.

Griffiths, T. 1983. The Book of Old Roses.

London: Michael Joseph.

________. 1987. The Book of Classic Old

Roses. New York: Viking Penguin.

Haring, P.A. 1986. Modern Roses 9. Shreveport,

LA: American Rose Society.
H I S T O R I C P L A N T M A T E R I A L S O U R C E S 9

Harrison, C.R. 1975. Ornamental Conifers. New

York: Hafner Press.

Hecker, W.R. 1971. Auriculas and Primroses.

London: B.T. Batsford.

Heieck, Ingobert. 1980. Hedera Sorten. Heidelberg, Germany: Gartneri der Abtei.

Holly Society of America. 1953. Bulletin No. 6,

The Preliminary Holly Check List. Holly Society

of America.

Holly Society of America. 1983. Ilex Cultivar

Registration List, 1958-1983. Holly Society of

America.

Hu, Shiu-ying. Philadelphus. Journal of the

Arnold Arboretum, 1954-1956 35: 275-333; 36:

52-109, 325-368; 37: 15-90.

Jefferson, R.M. 1970. History, Progeny and

Locations of Crabapples of Documented Authentic Origin. Contribution No. 2. New York:

National Arboretum.

Jefferson, R.M., and Kay Kazue Wain. 1982. The

Nomenclature of Cultivated Japanese Flowering

Cherries (PRUNUS): The Sato-zakura Group. Contribution No. 5. New York: National Arboretum.

Kessenich, G.M. 1976. Peonies: History of the

Peonies and Their Origination. American Peony

Society.

Krauss, H.K. 1955. Geraniums for Home and

Garden. New York: Macmillan.

Krussmann, Gerd. 1984. Manual of Cultivated

Broadleaved Trees and Shrubs. 3 vols. Portland,

OR: Timber Press.

________. 1985. Manual of Cultivated Conifers.

Portland, OR: Timber Press.

Leach, D.G. 1961. Rhododendrons of the World

and How to Grow Them. New York: Charles

Schribner’s Sons.

Lee, F.P. 1965. The Azalea Book. New York:

Van Nostrand.

Mastalerz, J.W. 1971. Geraniums. University

Park, PA: Pennsylvania Flower Growers.

North American Gladiolus Council. 1975. Gladiolus Variety Percentages. Vincent A. Sattler, 4919

Angola Road, Toledo, OH 43615.

Peckham, S. 1939. Alphabetical Iris Checklist.

Baltimore: American Iris Society.

R.H.S. Enterprises Ltd. 1969. Tentative Classified

List and International Register of Dahlia Names.

England: R.H.S. Garden, Wisley, Woking, Surrey

GU23 6QB.

R.H.S. 1982. The International Lily Register

1982. England: R.H.S. Garden, Wisley, Woking,

Surrey GU23 6QB.

________. 1983. The International Dianthus

Register. 2nd ed. England: R.H.S. Garden,

Wisley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB.
10 L A N D S C A P E L I N E S

________. 1985. Handbook on Orchid Nomenclature. 3rd ed. England: R.H.S. Garden, Wisley,

Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB5.

________. 1985. Sanders Orchid Addenda

1961-1985. England: R.H.S. Garden, Wisley,

Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB.

________. 1986. The International Dianthus

Register First to Third Supplements (1984-1986).

England: R.H.S. Garden, Wisley, Woking, Surrey

GU23 6QB.

Rogers, M.O. Tentative International Register of

Cultivar Names of the Genus Syringa. The

International Lilac Society.

Royal General Bulbgrowers’ Association. Classified List and International Register of Hyacinths

and Other Bulbous and Tuberous-rooted Plants.

Koninklijke Algemeene Vereeniging voor Bloembollencultuur, Parklaan 5, Hillegom, Holland.

Royal General Bulbgrowers Association. 1981.

Classified List and International Register of Tulip

Names. Koninklijke Algemeene Vereeniging voor

Bloembollencultuur.

Salley, H., and H. Greer. 1986. Rhododendron

Hybrids: A Guide to their Origins. Portland, OR:

Timber Press.

Schaepman, Henri K.E. Preliminary Checklist of

Cultivated Hedera. Part 1: Juvenile Varieties and

Cultivars of Hedera Helix. The American Ivy

Society.

Stout, A.B. 1986. Daylilies. Reprint of 1934

edition. Millwood, NY: Sagapress.

Smith G.F, B. Burrow, and D.B. Lowe. 1984.

Primulas of Europe and America. Birmingham,

England: Alpine Garden Society.

Smith, W.W., G. Forrest, and H.R. Fletcher.

1977. The Genus Primula. Vadu, Liechtenstein: J.

Cramer.

Swartley, J.C. 1984. The Cultivated Hemlocks.

Portland, OR: Timber Press.

Tucker, A.O., and Karel J.W. Hensen, 1985.

Baileya 22: 168-177.

Welch, H. 1978. Manual of Dwarf Conifers.

Rhode Island: Little Compton, Theophrastus.

Wemyss-Cooke, Jack. Primulas Old and New.

North Pomfret, Vermont: David and Charles.

Wister, J.C. 1962. The Peonies. Washington,

DC: American Horticultural Society.

Wyman, D. 1974. Shrubs and Vines for American

Gardens. New York: Macmillan.

PLANT IDENTIFICATION REFERENCES

Bailey, Libery Hyde. 1976. Hortus Third: A Concise

Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the United States

and Canada. New York: Macmillan.
H I S T O R I C P L A N T M A T E R I A L S O U R C E S 11

Bean, William Jackson. 1970. Trees and Shrubs

Hardy in the British Isles. 8th ed., fully revised.

London: J. Murray.

Dirr, Michael A. 1990. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental

Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses.

4th ed. Illinois: Stipes Publishing.

Phillips, Roger. 1978. Trees in Britain, Europe

and North America. London: Ward Lock.

Wyman, Donald. 1974. Shrubs and Vines for

American Gardens. New York: Macmillan.

OTHER USEFUL REFERENCES

Available from The Historical Gardener, 1910 N.

35th Place, MT. Vernon, WA 98273-8981, 206-

424-3154.

McClelland, Kathleen, ed. The Historical Gardener: Plants and Practices of the Past. ISSN

1067-5973. Quarterly newsletter, includes

sources of historic plant seed and nursery stock.

Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation.

1997. A Guide to Inventorying Plants at Historic

Properties. Massachusetts. Available in January

1997 from the Olmsted Center: 99 Warren

Street, Brookline, MA 02146, 617-566-1689.

Tankard, Judith, K. ed. Journal of the New England

Garden History Society. ISSN 1053 2617. A

benefit of membership of the New England

Garden History Society of the Massachusetts

Historical Society, published annually. Membership

and purchase address: Librarian, Massachusetts

Horticultural Society, 300 Massachusetts Avenue,

Boston, MA 02115, 617-536- 9280.

Whealy, Kent, ed. The Garden Seed Inventory.

Iowa: Seed Savers Exchange, Kent Whealy

Director, P.O. Box 70, Decorah, Iowa, 52101,

1985. An inventory of all nonhybrid edible plant

seed and sources in the United States between

1982 and 1984.

The mission of the Department of the Interior is to protect and

provide access to our Nation’s natural and cultural heritage and

honor our trust responsibilities to tribes.

U.S. Department of the Interior

National Park Service

Cultural Resources

Park Historic Structures & Cultural Landscapes