| | Roland Maurice Jefferson at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. He is observing flowering cherry trees grown from seed collected during his 1982-1983 expedition to Japan. April 1995. | | | Roland M. Jefferson (1923-2020), the first African American botanist and plant explorer for the U.S. National Arboretum, devoted his career to helping make the world a more beautiful place. He was well known for his work with the iconic Japanese flowering cherry trees in Washington, D.C. During the 1970s and 1980s, Jefferson took cuttings of the original cherry trees received as a gift from Japan in 1912. With the help of National Park Service horticulturists and fellow USDA plant scientists, he propagated new plants from these cuttings to replace dying trees, preserving the beauty of the original trees and helping make sure that their spectacular spring blossom display continues to delight future generations of visitors. Jefferson served as a botanical ambassador of sorts, traveling the world to collect cherry, crabapple, and dogwood varieties to introduce in the United States. He also established a seed exchange between Japanese and American school children, encouraging them to share their countries' native flowering trees. Find out more about Roland Jefferson and his influential work at the U.S. National Arboretum in the Roland Maurice Jefferson Collection. | | | |
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