Significance:• Arboreta are documented, living collections of ligneous species cultivated for research, education and display.• Arboreta are a valuable resource for the forestry industry as gene banks.• Arboreta, together with botanic gardens, form a useful network of sentinel sites for plant pathogens and invasive species.• A survey of the species composition and status of arboreta in South Africa would be an important contribution to our botanical knowledge
