美国 香草协会 The Herb Society of America – 1933 年创立的香草研究非营利组织

协会沿革与组织架构

美国香草协会（The Herb Society of America，简称 HSA）成立于 1933 年 8 月 23 日，由七位对香草植物学和园艺抱有浓厚兴趣的女性在马萨诸塞州 Ipswich 正式创立，其中六人居住于波士顿，一位夏季常赴新英格兰。协会的诞生得益于哈佛大学阿诺德树木园（Arnold Arboretum）Edgar Anderson 博士的支持——他为创始团队提供了试验用地与学术指导。协会的宗旨是研究香草的历史、栽培与多用途价值，倡导将香草融入日常生活与园艺实践。经过九十余年发展，HSA 已成长为拥有 2,200 余名会员的全国性非营利组织，会员分布于美国本土及其他六个国家，并按地区划分为中部、大湖、中大西洋、东北、南中南、东南、西部七个分会，下辖四十余个本地单元（unit）。协会总部位于俄亥俄州，并通过董事会与各区代表进行治理。

教育研究与出版平台

HSA 将香草教育与学术研究视为核心使命，主要出版与学习平台包括：旗舰年刊《The Herbarist》自 1935 年起持续出版，是美国历史最悠久的园艺连续期刊之一，2026 年版聚焦于本土香草传统、伴生园艺与有毒植物等专题；HSA 图书馆藏有 3,500 余册书籍、期刊、多媒体与珍本，涵盖香草历史、园艺、烹饪与药用等领域，会员可借阅；每月举办的线上研讨会（webinar）覆盖栽培养护、香草识别与文化历史，2026 年主题包括大蒜、柠檬罗勒与智利辣椒等；月度专栏”Herb of the Month”按月推荐一种香草，介绍识别方法、风味特征与食谱；HSA Quick Fact Sheets 与 Essential Herb Guides 则为香草入门与深度研究提供系统性资料。

国家香草园与旗舰项目

1980 年落成的国家香草园（National Herb Garden）是 HSA 最具代表性的公共项目，位于华盛顿特区美国国家植物园（U.S. National Arboretum）内，占地 2.5 英亩，由协会出资 20 万美元并获美国农业部等额资助建成，园内汇集数百种香草，配以解说牌介绍其历史与用途，是全美规模最大的设计型香草专类园。HSA 长期支持驻园实习生岗位与日常维护。GreenBridges™ 是协会发起的本土植物与传粉者保护倡议，鼓励家庭与社区花园通过登记成为连接破碎栖息地的”绿色桥梁”，协会为参与花园颁发标识牌；Notable Natives™ 项目则按州推荐原生香草，发布详尽资料。此外，协会每年举办年度教育大会（Educational Conference），2026 年于 4 月 15 至 17 日在德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥举行，并评选相关奖项以表彰香草研究与推广领域的杰出贡献。

会员福利与社区参与

HSA 会员可享受全方位的学习与交流福利：免费参加每月线上研讨会与全年录像库、优惠注册教育大会与在线课程、获赠会员专属电子快讯与各级简报、查询并加入本地单元参与月度聚会；通过与美国园艺协会（American Horticultural Society）的互惠准入计划，会员凭卡可在全美 300 余家公共植物园与树木园获得免费或折扣入园；会员还可参与种子交换计划（Seed Exchange）、使用图书馆借阅服务、订阅《The Herbarist》并查阅其历年档案。商业会员可在商业名录中获得链接展示、在年会上获得优惠展位，并在《The Herbarist》享受广告折扣。对于香草爱好者、园艺师、教育者和研究者，HSA 提供了一个跨地域、跨专业领域的交流平台，致力于推动香草知识在更广泛社区中的传播与应用。

The Herb Society of America (HSA) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to the study, cultivation, and promotion of herbs. Founded on August 23, 1933 by seven women friends in Ipswich, Massachusetts with the support of Dr. Edgar Anderson of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University, the Society now counts more than 2,200 members across the United States and six other countries. Its membership is organized into seven districts covering the Central, Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, South Central, Southeast, and West regions, with forty-plus local units carrying out grassroots herb education. The Society is headquartered in Ohio and is governed by a volunteer board with district delegates.

History and Organizational Structure

The Herb Society of America was formally organized on August 23, 1933 at the Ipswich, Massachusetts home of Mrs. Albert C. (Anne) Burrage, Jr., by seven women with a shared passion for herb botany and horticulture. Six of the founders lived in the Boston area, and one spent summers in New England. Dr. Edgar Anderson of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University, a personal connection of one founder, offered the group use of testing grounds at the Arboretum and shared his expertise to support their studies. After adopting initial by-laws and policies, the founders invited other interested gardeners and students to join. More than nine decades later, HSA has grown to over 2,200 members, organized into seven geographic districts and forty-plus local units that host meetings, garden tours, and educational events across the United States and six other countries. The Society’s mission is to educate and inspire people to explore the wonder and pleasure of herbs, while its vision positions the organization as a trusted expert resource bringing people together to share and use the power of herbs to build healthier communities and a more sustainable world.

Education, Research, and Publications

Education and research sit at the core of HSA’s identity. Its premier publication, The Herbarist, has been published annually since 1935, making it one of the longest-running horticultural journals in the United States. The 2026 edition explores the ethnobotanical traditions of Indigenous Peoples, companion planting for purposeful gardens, the historical figure of Mrs. Grieve, and a year-long survey of poisonous plants in a typical yard. HSA also maintains a research library of more than 3,500 volumes covering herb history, horticulture, medicinal uses, and rare books, available for member borrowing. Monthly webinars cover topics such as garlic, unusual and nontraditional herbs, and lemon verbena, with an on-demand library for past sessions. The Herb of the Month series highlights one herb each month, providing identification tips, folklore, and recipes. Members also receive access to HSA Quick Fact Sheets, Essential Herb Guides, and Notable Native™ Profiles.

The National Herb Garden and Signature Programs

The National Herb Garden, located on a 2.5-acre site within the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., is HSA’s most visible public contribution. Completed in 1980 after fifteen years of planning and fundraising by dedicated Society members, it was built with $200,000 raised by HSA and matched by a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture. It is the largest designed herb garden in the United States, with hundreds of species and cultivars labeled for educational interpretation. HSA continues to support the garden through an annual garden intern and special purchase funds, and in 2021 the board approved additional funding to renovate paths and lighting. Beyond the National Herb Garden, HSA runs the GreenBridges™ initiative, which encourages home and community gardeners to create safe passages for native plants and pollinators across fragmented habitats, and the Notable Natives™ program, which publishes state-by-state recommendations of native herbs. The Society’s annual Educational Conference gathers members, speakers, and exhibitors; the 2026 conference was held April 15-17 in San Antonio, Texas.

Membership Benefits and Community Engagement

HSA members enjoy a wide range of learning and engagement benefits. New and renewing members receive free access to monthly webinars and the recorded library, discounted registration for the Educational Conference and online classes, free on-demand access to HSA publications, and free or reduced admission to more than 300 public gardens and arboreta through the Society’s partnership with the American Horticultural Society and the Reciprocal Admissions Program. Members can join a local unit to connect with other herb enthusiasts in their area, participate in the Seed Exchange Program, and borrow from the HSA library. The Society’s quarterly Herbarist journal, electronic newsletter Herbal Bytes, and district and unit newsletters keep members informed of upcoming events, research, and grant opportunities. Business members receive additional perks, including preferred vendor rates at conferences, listings in the HSA Business Member Directory, and discounted advertising in The Herbarist. Through its publications, programs, and member network, HSA continues to serve as a national hub for herb education, research, and community engagement in North America.

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