Learn the history and the heritage of Arizona's oldest University. Follow our guides as they show you beautiful places and tell you fascinating facts about the growth and development of the University, and how it came out of the sands of the Sonoran Desert to become the jewel of Arizona!
Tours and Events
For more than a century the campus landscape has served as testing grounds for arid-adapted trees, supplying the Campus Arboretum with a collection of unusual but delightful specimens. Trees around the World features some of these unique trees and describes their native uses and interesting folklore. A new and improved version of this tour is available in mobile and print format Spring 2019.
This tour originated as a brilliant idea of an (undoubtedly hungry) undergraduate student, and has been customized for the benefit of all locovores. Join us to learn the identities of trees and plants with edible products which grow well in our campus landscape. The tour features arid-adapted introduced species as well as Sonoran desert native plants.
Plants have been used for centuries to treat and remedy all sorts of ailments; on this tour you will learn about some of the Sonoran Native medicinal plants found here on campus and the current science confirming their therapeutic properties for human health.
When the University of Arizona was established as a Land Grant Institute in 1891, Dr. James Toumey, a botanist for the Agricultural Experiment Station on campus, recognized the educational value of the native vegetation that evolved in the Sonoran Desert over tens of thousands of years. As such, he started a cactus display garden that, eventually became what we now know as the Joseph Wood Krutch (pronounced KROOCH) Garden. In the 120 years since the genesis of the University and its cactus garden, the University’s practices have advanced to reflect current and evolving understandings of and attitudes toward landscaping and the natural environment. Join the Campus Arboretum docents for this tour to learn more about the ecology and ethnobotany of many Sonoran native plants.
Since 1891, the trees on the UA campus grounds have served as a proving ground and living laboratory in the study of desert horticulture. From experience, we know that healthy, mature trees provide greatest benefits and we have gained insights into tree selection and landscape management practices that optimize tree health and longevity. For almost 125 years, our goal has been to test trees suitable for arid cities and to provide science-based recommendations guiding landscape management practices. To promote sustainable landscapes, we have created a tour to allow us to share our findings with the community.
This tour showcases all donated trees on campus.
Donor contributions provide sole support for Campus Arboretum educational and outreach programs, student training and research projects that promote awareness of sustainable land management and development. Donations also provide needed resources that support professional development and training of grounds personnel, provide for special preservation of existing trees, and expand tree collections and programs.
This tour showcases all donated benches on campus.
Donor contributions provide sole support for Campus Arboretum educational and outreach programs, student training and research projects that promote awareness of sustainable land management and development. Donations also provide needed resources that support professional development and training of grounds personnel, provide for special preservation of existing trees, and expand tree collections and programs.
An impressive combination of botanical and architectural expertise, the ENR2 building is unique. Designed to mimic the form of a slot canyon, it creates a set of microclimates that suit plants that otherwise would not survive here. This tour will help you learn more about the many plants that call this building home and the features of the building that make their growth possible.
This tour leads the user through different regions within South America's from a botanical, cultural, and scientific perspective. Five different species are explored in this tour, along with the stories of how they are each intertwined into the very fabric of the culture and the daily lives of South Americans. Culinary, ethnobotanical, and modern scientific applications for each of the five plant species reveal how far-stretching and powerful plants are, along with how vital the relationship between humans and native plant species is.
This tour explores iconic plants of the American Southwest along with other lesser-known but common plants within the arid region. From the American Agave and it's use within traditional medicine to modern medicine and the discoveries of Mexican Fence post Cactus as a treatment for some forms of cancer, these hardy desert plants have been used by various peoples for millennia. Take a look at the desert landscape around you, and open yourself up to a whole new perspective with your newfound knowledge in the extensive and varied uses for these desert plants.
Although in-person guided tours are temporarily suspended, there are still many ways to "visit", learn and be inspired.
Virtual Tours - We have provided virtual tree tours here. See photos and descriptions of plants from the comfort of your home! Learn more about the virtual tree tours here.
Blooming Tours - The campus provides plants that bloom throughout all of the Sonoran desert's five seasons. Experience and learn about plants in bloom through this virtual tour. Learn more about the plants in bloom here.
Mobile Tours - You may also wish to take a self-guided tour using your mobile device. Learn more about mobile tree tours here.
Other Self-Guided Tours - Self-guided tour booklets can be printed from the links found in many tour descriptions. Return to the main tree tour page to explore each by clicking here.
