ARBORETUM DE VILLARDEBELLE

Conifers from all around the world

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Aims of the arboretum

That is the rationnal thinking,
but above all there is the simple pleasure
to create with the help of nature in its greatest diversity
and to feel like part of it.



The Arboretum de Villardebelle is in the South-West of France, in the "Departement de l'Aude" (near Limoux, near Carcassonne).
Latitude : 43° 01' North; longitude : 2° 23' East.
Altitude : between 570 and 670 m.
Distance to the sea : 53 km.
Size : about 6 hectares (14 acres) in four different places (and is increasing).
Hardiness zone : 8b (with the absolute minimal t° since 1993 being -10,4° Celsius [13.3° F]).
Average annual rainfall (1972-1997) : 1.074 mm (about 42 inches).
Landscape : hills. There are many microclimatic conditions due to the different slopes and exposures to sun and winds.
Geology : in Villardebelle, the rocks are from Devonian (usually : limestone) and Carboniferous (usually : schists) ages. In the Arboretum, rocks are mainly limestone, but not exclusively. The geology of the region (Pyrénées) is a true puzzle, also because there are many inclusive rocks. Investigations are still under way.



Absolute yearly minimal temperature : average 1970-1997-8.7° C [16.3° F]
Absolute january minimal temperature : average 1970-1997-7.5° C [18.5° F]
Mean january minimal temperature : average 1970-19970.3° C [32.5° F]
Average number of days max. temperature < 0° C [< 32° F]2.6
Average number of days min. temperature < 0° C [< 32° F]62.8
Average number of days min. temperature < -5° C [< 23° F]9.8
Average number of days min. temperature < -10° C [< 14° F]0.9



Main natural vegetation is :
Quercus ilex, and other deciduous Quercus sp., Fraxinus excelsior, Acer monspessulanum, Prunus spinosa, Corylus avellana, Crataegus monogyna, Buxus sempervirens, Ilex aequifolium, Genista sp., Cupressus sempervirens, Juniperus communis, Prunus avium and Pterydium aquilinum.

Main trees planted for timber in the surroundings are :
Fagus sylvatica, Quercus sp., Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus nigra laricio or calabrica, Cedrus atlantica, Pinus sylvestris, Picea sitchensis. A plantation of Abies grandis died when 30 years old.

The arboretum (created since 1994-95) is mainly dedicated to conifers with today more than 130 different species or subspecies of Gymnosperms (quite a few cultivars are not being taken in that count). A second hundred is waiting in the nursery. Fast growing species : Sequoia sempervirens, Metasequoia, Cryptomeria, Cupressus torulosa.



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Conifers in the arboretum

  1. Abies alba
  2. Abies amabilis
  3. Abies balsamea
  4. Abies borisii-regis
  5. Abies bornmuellerana
  6. Abies bracteata
  7. Abies cephalonica
  8. Abies cilicica
  9. Abies concolor
  10. Abies delavayi
  11. Abies delavayi fabri
  12. Abies delavayi forrestii
  13. Abies equi-trojani
  14. Abies fabri minensis
  15. Abies grandis
  16. Abies kawakamii
  17. Abies lasiocarpa
  18. Abies magnifica
  19. Abies marocana tazaotana
  20. Abies nordmanniana
  21. Abies numidica
  22. Abies pinsapo
  23. Abies procera
  24. Abies recurvata
  25. Abies recurvata ernestii
  26. Abies squamata
  27. Araucaria araucana
  28. Calocedrus decurrens
  29. Cedrus atlantica
  30. Cedrus deodara
  31. Cedrus libani
  32. Cedrus libani stenocoma
  33. Cephalotaxus fortunei
  34. Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
  35. Chamaecyparis obtusa
  36. Chamaecyparis pisifera
  37. Chamaecyparis thyoides
  38. Cryptomeria japonica
  39. Cupressocyparis leylandii
  40. Cupressus arizonica glabra
  41. Cupressus bakeri
  42. Cupressus cashmeriana
  43. Cupressus dupreziana
  44. Cupressus funebris
  45. Cupressus macrocarpa
  46. Cupressus sempervirens
  47. Cupressus torulosa
  48. Fitzroya cupressoides
  49. Ginkgo biloba
  50. Juniperus chinensis
  51. Juniperus communis
  52. Juniperus drupacea
  53. Juniperus horizontalis
  54. Juniperus oxycedrus
  55. Juniperus squamata
  56. Keteleeria davidiana
  57. Larix decidua
  58. Larix kaempferi
  59. Metasequoia glyptostroboides
  60. Microbiota decussata
  61. Picea abies
  62. Picea alcoquiana acicularis
  63. Picea asperata
  64. Picea balfouriana
  65. Picea brachytyla
  66. Picea breweriana
  67. Picea crassifolia
  68. Picea engelmannii
  69. Picea glauca
  70. Picea jezoensis hondoensis
  71. Picea neoveitchii
  72. Picea omorika
  73. Picea orientalis
  74. Picea polita
  75. Picea pungens
  76. Picea purpurea
  77. Picea sitchensis
  78. Pinus aristata
  79. Pinus attenuata
  80. Pinus balfouriana
  81. Pinus brutia
  82. Pinus bungeana
  83. Pinus canariensis
  84. Pinus cembra
  85. Pinus cembroides
  86. Pinus contorta latifolia
  87. Pinus coulteri
  88. Pinus densiflora
  89. Pinus edulis
  90. Pinus eldarica
  91. Pinus halepensis
  92. Pinus koraiensis
  93. Pinus leucodermis
  94. Pinus massoniana
  95. Pinus michoacana
  96. Pinus monophylla
  97. Pinus montezumae
  98. Pinus monticola
  99. Pinus muricata
  100. Pinus nigra calabrica
  101. Pinus nigra nigra
  102. Pinus nigra pallasiana
  103. Pinus patula
  104. Pinus peuce
  105. Pinus pinaster
  106. Pinus pinea
  107. Pinus ponderosa
  108. Pinus pungens
  109. Pinus radiata
  110. Pinus resinosa
  111. Pinus sabiniana
  112. Pinus sylvestris
  113. Pinus tabulaeformis
  114. Pinus taeda
  115. Pinus uncinata
  116. Pinus wallichiana
  117. Pseudolarix amabilis
  118. Pseudotsuga menziesii
  119. Saxegothaea conspicua
  120. Sciadopitys verticillata
  121. Sequoia sempervirens
  122. Sequoiadendron giganteum
  123. Taiwania cryptomerioides
  124. Taxodium ascendens
  125. Taxodium distichum
  126. Taxus baccata
  127. Thuja koraiensis
  128. Thuja orientalis
  129. Thuja plicata
  130. Thuja standishii
  131. Thujopsis dolabrata
  132. Torreya californica
  133. Torreya grandis
  134. Tsuga heterophylla
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February 1998


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Policy of the Arboretum

Forests precede civilizations, deserts follow them.
We need people to disprove this saying.

Although there are some angiosperms (see table below), the policy of the Arboretum is to try to acclimatize as many conifers species as possible (to hardiness zone 9). Only a few cultivars are planted, and the main objective is to display type species and geographical subspecies and varieties.

Emphasis is brought on rare and/or endangered species.

The Arboretum is ready to study any cooperation program with others institutions pursueing the same goals.

To ensure the genetical diversity of the trees, the plants are as far as possible grown from seeds and a sufficient number of trees will be installed. Several trials will be conducted in the Arboretum to find the best place for each species.

As far as the different types of soil and exposures will allow it, the planting will be organized into biogeographical sub-units.

Himalaya
Japan
China
Korea
Western USA
Eastern USA
Mediterranea
California
Chile/Argentina
Taiwan
Mexico
Planned :                                             
Tasmania
New Zealand


Angiosperms
Planted :Natural occurence :
  • Acer trautvetteri
  • Aesculus hipposcastanum
  • Alnus sinuata
  • Arbustus unedo
  • Castanea sativa
  • Catalpa sp.
  • Corylus colurna
  • Juglans nigra
  • Juglans regia
  • Koelreuteria paniculata
  • Nothofagus antarctica
  • Quercus rubra
  • Sorbus acuparia
  • Sorbus torminalis
  • Tilia sp.
  • Zelkova sp.
  • Acer monspessulanum
  • Arbustus unedo
  • Buxus sempervirens
  • Castanea sativa
  • Corylus avellana
  • Crataegus monogyna
  • Fraxinus excelsior
  • Ilex aequifolium
  • Prunus spinosa
  • Quercus ilex



Nursery of the Arboretum




Web Site

The site is maintained directly by the Arboretum.
The site is optimized for Internet Explorer 4.0.
The 'text only' page will not be updated as quickly as the full color version.

11 december 1998


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NEWS

3 January 1999

During the last week of 1998, 80 trees were planted in the different Units of the Arboretum.
Here is the list of the species introduced for the first time (* species grown from seeds in the nursery) :

  1. Abies fraseri
  2. Abies gamblei
  3. Callitris tasmanica *
  4. Cephalotaxus harringtonia koreana *
  5. Cryptomeria japonica sinensis *
  6. Cupressocyparis notabilis
  7. Picea gemmata
  8. Picea montigena
  9. Picea smithiana *
  10. Pseudotaxus chienii
  11. Tsuga chinensis
  12. Tsuga diversifolia

Other species planted to complete the collection :

  1. Cupressus dupreziana (4x) - a gift from the INRA Antibes, Mrs Andreoli - France.
  2. Metasequoia glyptostroboides (4x)
  3. Pinus attenuata (3x)
  4. Pinus edulis (10x)
  5. Pinus koraienssis (3x)
  6. Pinus leucodermis (2x)
  7. Pinus resinosa (3x)
  8. Sequoia sempervirens (4x)
  9. Sequoiadendron giganteum (2x)
  10. Taxus baccata (6x) - a gift from the Arboretum of Freiburg - Germany.
    ...
During Fall the first serious frost came early (November) and the temperatures went as low as -10°C. Some dammages were observed on Pinus canariensis, Pinus michoacana and on newly planted Keteleeria davidiana. All other species seem to do well (even if it is to early to draw a conclusion), especially Pinus massoniana, Pinus patula, Calocedrus formosana and Cunninghamia konishii.



2 November 1998

During the last week of October, some 63 trees were planted in the different Units of the Arboretum. Here is the list of the species introduced for the first time :

  1. Calocedrus formosana
  2. Cedrus brevifolia
  3. Cunninghamia konishii
  4. Cunninghamia lanceolata (type and 'Glauca')
  5. Picea alcoquiana (= P. bicolor)
  6. Picea engelmannii mexicana (= P. mexicana)
  7. Pinus jeffreyi
  8. Pinus lambertiana
  9. Pinus mugo mughus
  10. Pinus mugo pumilio
  11. Prumnopitys andina (= Podocarpus andinus)
  12. Taxus brevifolia
  13. Torreya taxifolia

More and more seedlings are planted that were grown in the nursery of the Arboretum (with the number of seedlings) :

  1. Cupressus cashmeriana (5x)
  2. Metasequoia glyptostroboides (3x)
  3. Pinus coulteri (2x)
  4. Pinus edulis (4x)
  5. Torreya californica (3x)

Four different clones of Cupressus dupreziana (the Cypress of the Sahara Desert) - a gift from the INRA Centre d'Antibes in France, Mrs Andreoli - were also planted.

After a rain deficit during the Winter, Spring and Summer 1998, the months of September and October were quite rainy : 105 mm and 86 mm respectively, allowing most of the young trees to recover at the very end of the growing season.



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Books on Conifers

  1. Gerd Krüssmann, MANUAL OF CULTIVATED CONIFERS
    Timber Press, 1985, 361 pages, 455 black-and-white photographs, 231 line drawings
    ISBN 0-88192-007-X

  2. D.M. van Gelderen & J.R.P. van Hoey Smith, CONIFERS, The Illustrated Encyclopedia
    2 Volumes, with Indexes, Timber Press, published in association with the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society, 706 pages, 2347 color photographs, 113 drawings
    ISBN 0-88192-354-0

  3. Keith Rushforth, CONIFERS
    Christopher Helm, 1987, London, 232 pages, color photographs, line drawings
    ISBN 0-7470-2801-X

  4. Mirko Vidakovic
    CONIFERS, Morphology and Variation
    Graficki Zavod Hrvatske, Croatie, 1991, 755 pages, black-and-white photographs, line drawings, tables, maps
    ISBN ?

  5. G. Callen
    LES CONIFERES CULTIVES EN EUROPE
    Editions J.-B. Bailliere, France, 1976, 2 volumes, 875 pages, black-and-white photographs, maps
    ISBN 2-7008-0012-5

  6. Peter Schuett, Hans J. Schuck, Gregor Aas, Ulla M. Lang
    ENZYKLOPAEDIE DER HOLZGEWAECHSE, Handbuch und Atlas der Dendrologie
    ecomed, Landsberg am Lech, Germany, 1994, evolutive book, two bands so far, color photographs, line drawings, maps
    ISBN 3-609-72030-1

    Books on Conifers by Geographical Region

  7. John Laird Farrar
    LES ARBRES DU CANADA
    Fides & Service canadien des forêts, 1996, 502 pages, color photographs, line drawings, maps
    ISBN 2-7621-1824-7
    This Book is published in English under the name Trees in Canada by Fitzhenry and Whiteside Limited

  8. E.C. Pielou
    THE WORLD OF NORTHERN EVERGREENS
    Comstock, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, 1988, 174 pages, line drawings, maps
    ISBN 0-8014-9424-9

  9. Neal J. Enright & Robert S. Hill (Ed.)
    ECOLOGY OF THE SOUTHERN CONIFERS
    Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., USA, 1995, 342 pages, black-and-white photographs, figures, tables, maps
    ISBN 1-56098-617-4

  10. J.T. Salmon
    THE NATIVE TREES OF NEW ZEALAND
    Reeds Books, Auckland, New Zealand, 1996, 384 pages, color photographs, figures, maps
    ISBN 0-7900-0104-7

  11. David Alan Charlet
    ATLAS OF NEVADA CONIFERS, A Phytogeographic Reference
    University of Nevada Press, Reno, Nevada, USA, 1996, 320 pages, line drawings, tables, maps
    ISBN 0-87417-265-9

  12. M.J. Brown, J.B. Kirkpatrick & A. Moscal
    AN ATLAS OF TASMANIA'S ENDEMIC FLORA
    Tasmania Conservation Trust, 102, Bathurst Street, Hobart 7000, Tasmania, May 1983, illustrations by Fred Duncan, 110 pages, line drawings, maps
    ISBN 0-9599816-8-3

    Books on Conifers by Genus or Family

  13. Tang-Shui Liu
    A MONOGRAPHY OF THE GENUS ABIES
    Department of Forestry, National Taiwan University, Taipe, Taiwan, 1971, 609 pages, black-and-white photographs, line drawings, tables, maps
    ISBN 0-88192-174-2

  14. S.S. Negi
    HANDBOOK OF FIR AND SPRUCE TREES OF THE WORLD
    Indus Publishing Company, New Dehli, India, 1996, 232 pages, line drawings
    ISBN 81-7387-051-9

  15. Jesse P. Perry Jr.
    THE PINES OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA
    Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, USA, 1991, 231 pages, black-and-white photographs, line drawings, maps
    ISBN 0-88192-174-2

  16. David M. Richardson (Ed.)
    ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY OF PINUS
    Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England, 1998, 527 pages, black-and-white photographs, figures, tables, maps
    ISBN 0-521-55176-5
  17. Jeremy Joan Hewes
    REDWOODS, The World's Largest Trees
    Smithmark, New York, USA, 1995, 192 pages, color & black-and-white photographs, figures, maps
    ISBN 0-8317-7381-2

  18. Michael P. Cohen
    A GARDEN OF BRISTLECONES, Tales of Change in the Great Basin
    University of Nevada Press, Reno, Las Vegas, USA, 1998, 308 pages, black-and-white photographs, color paintings, figures, maps
    ISBN 0-87417-296-9


Propagation Books

  1. James A. Young & Cheryl G. Young
    SEEDS OF WOODY PLANTS IN NORTH AMERICA
    Dioscorides Press, Portland, Oregon, USA, 1994, 407 pages, black-and-white photographs, line drawings, tables
    ISBN 0-931146-21-6

  2. Bruce Macdonald
    PRACTICAL WOODY PLANT PROPAGATION FOR NURSERY GROWERS
    Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, USA, 1986, 669 pages, black-and-white photographs, line drawings, tables
    ISBN 0-88192-062-2

  3. Michael A. Dirr & Charles W. Heuser, Jr.
    THE REFERENCE MANUAL OF WOODY PLANT PROPAGATION, From Seed to Tissue Culture
    Varsity Press, Athens, Georgia, USA, 1987, 239 pages, black-and-white photographs, line drawings, tables
    ISBN 0-942375-00-9

11 janvier 1999


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LINKS

  1. ARBORETA

    1. Lovett Pinetum
      All you want to know about Pines, you will find it here.

    2. Arboretum Freiburg Günterstal
      Great arboretum in the South of Germany; display a complete collection of Abies.

    3. Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden
      The Garden is "devoted to the collection, cultivation, study, and display of native California plants". .. Its "mission is to make significant contributions to the appreciation, enjoyment, conservation, understanding, and thoughtful utilization of our natural heritage." Index Seminum : seed source for other Botanical Gardens.

    4. Arboretum Waasland
      Kriekelaarstraat, 29, 9100 Nieuwkerken, Belgium.
      Tel: +32.3-775.93.09, Fax: +32.3-755.36.50
      Michel Decalut, Director.
      Situated in Belgium, near St Niklaas, this arboretum presents all kinds of trees. Also a very good source for plants.


  2. ASSOCIATIONS

    1. American Conifer Society
      Join the ACS ! A quite friendly association whose aims are to encourage the development, conservation and propagation of conifers, with emphasis on those that are dwarf and unusual, to aid in the standardization of conifer nomenclature and to educate the public.


  3. SEEDS AND PLANTS SOURCES

    1. Sheffield's Seeds
      Very good seeds source, with a tremendous Web site that will inform you directly on prices, availability, pre-sowing treatments, etc. You can order 2 grams and higher !

    2. Sandeman Seeds
      A quite complete catalogue of Trees and Shrubs.

    3. Semillas Montaraz
      High quality service; the seeds are thoroughly tested for germination.

    4. AustraHort
      AustraHort Pty Limited, formerly M.L. Farrar Pty Limited.
      Australian seeds source. Also seeds from around the world.

    5. Pieter Zwijnenburg jr.
      Halve Raak 18, 2771 AD Boskoop, Holland
      Tel: +31.172-21.62.32, Fax: +31.172-21.84.74
      Plant source for all kinds a trees. Highest choice and highest quality of the plants.


  4. NURSERY MATERIAL

    1. Stuewe & Sons
      Do you need tubes and containers to propagate your favorite trees ? This is the address !
11 janvier 1999

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