A records label hangs from every accessioned plant in the Arboretum, recording scientific name, accession number, provenance, and other documentation. The Curation department creates some 2,000 new labels anually—for new plantings, as scientific names change, and to replace missing labels (often discovered during the annual inventory, which in 2022 included Hemlock Hill). We produce labels on a CIM Maxima 841 label embosser, which rapidly and sonorously stamps letters and numbers into the two-by-three-inch aluminum cards, completing each in roughly 45 seconds. Out in the field, we typically hang the prepared label on a basal screw or small branch. For trees or large shrubs, we first install a 3-inch stainless steel screw at the trunk’s base, fasten the label with seven twists of 22-gauge electrical wire and a loop around the screw, and finish with a series of wraps spiraling down to double-thread the label’s eyes. Branch labels are attached with the same seven twists, a generous loop around the branch to allow for future growth, and finally seven more turns and a final single coil above the branch known as the “Curatorial Twist.”
16,007
Accessioned plants in the arboretum.
7
Turns of wire in the “Curatorial Twist.”
Adam B. Banks is a Curatorial Assistant at the Arnold Arboretum.