From each plant in the Plantations hangs a small metal tag stamped with its genus, species, and common name. This living museum’s gardens demonstrate the variety of annuals and perennials that thrive in the Northeast. Vet students learn to identify threats to the family pet in the Muenscher Poisonous Plants Collection, while horticulture students benefit from the International Crop and Weed Garden.

Visitors include hikers, cross-country skiers, and nature photographers, as well as gardeners and botanists. Barbara McClintock ’23, PhD ’27, was assigned workspace in a small shed here. She went on to win the first MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant, as well as a Nobel Prize for her work on jumping genes in corn.