Highstead Foundation

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Highstead, formerly known as Highstead Arboretum, in Redding, Connecticut, United States was founded in 1982.{{cite web|url=http://www.highstead.net/about/history.shtml|title=The History of Highstead|website=www.highstead.net}} It covers 36 acres (146,000 m²) of woodland, meadow, and wetland and ranges from {{convert|640|ft|m}} to {{convert|758|ft|m}} in elevation and hosts both native and cultivated plant varieties.{{cite web|url=http://www.highstead.net/context/highstead_property.shtml|title=Highstead Property Description|website=www.highstead.net}}

File:Kalmia latifolia species 2.jpg

Highstead includes the following collections:

• The Native tree and shrub collection, with indigenous plants from within a {{convert|100|mi|km|adj=on}} radius of the arboretum.{{cite web|url=http://www.highstead.net/collections/Native_Tree_Shrub_Walk.shtml|title=Highstead - Dedicated to conserving New England's natural landscapes|website=www.highstead.net}}
• The Mountain Laurel collection, includes three of the seven mountain laurel, or Kalmia, species. Highstead is host to a thorough collection of Kalmia latifolia, the Connecticut state flower, and a representative collection of the genus, for which it is also the International Cultivar Registration Authority.{{cite web|url=http://www.highstead.net/collections/kalmia.shtml|title=The Kalmia Collection|website=www.highstead.net}}
• The Deciduous Azaleas collection, with 14 species of deciduous azaleas, including three native species.{{cite web|url=http://highsteadarboretum.org/collections/Plant_Collections.shtml|title=Plant Collections and Naturalistic Landscapes |website=highsteadarboretum.org}}
• A Herbarium with more than 1,000 specimens.{{cite web|url=http://www.highstead.net/collections/herbarium.shtml|title=Herbarium |website=www.highstead.net}}