Arboretum

With almost one hundred different varieties of tree, the parkland at Lesnes Abbey Woods contains some of the most interesting trees in the world. The arboretum was specifically planted with a selection of rare native trees as well as global exotics such as three species of ‘Living Fossils’, species that look unchanged from those found in fossils from millions of years ago.

- Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis), dating back to the Jurassic period but not discovered as a living plant until 1994 in a remote Australian canyon.

- Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), when discovered by Chinese botanists in the 1940’s, this endangered tree was already revered by the local population.

- Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo biloba) outlived the dinosaurs but is no longer found in the wild.

For more information on all the tree species in the arboretum  visit our interactive map.