Bob Berry: Portrait of an Oak Collector

Roderick Cameron

Published May 2020 in International Oaks No. 31: 101–124

Abstract

Hackfalls Arboretum in New Zealand is the life work of Bob Berry, a farmer who planted trees as a hobby. The Arboretum contains around 3,700 trees, with oaks one of the best represented genera. In his late 60s and 70s Bob undertook a series of collecting trips in Mexico, establishing an extensive collection of oaks of this provenance. He died in August 2018 at the age of 102. This tribute reviews the creation of the oak collection at Hackfalls, with particular emphasis on the Mexican oaks, and looks at the question as to what could have driven a modest farmer from Tiniroto to go to such lengths to build the collection and study the complex taxonomy of Central American Quercus.

Keywords

Hackfalls Arboretum, oak collection, oaks in New Zealand, Mexican oaks, Quercus of Mexico

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