Louisiana State Arboretum, Botanical garden and protected area in Ville Platte, United States.

The Louisiana State Arboretum is a botanical garden and protected area spanning 600 acres of natural forest with over 150 plant species. Ancient beech and magnolia trees form the backbone of its diverse woodland landscape.

Efforts to create a Louisiana arboretum began in the 1950s, led by Caroline Dormon, A. G. Lawton and J. D. Lafleur Sr., with the Magnolia Garden Club, the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce working near Ville Platte. In spring 1961 the State Parks and Recreation Commission ordered the Louisiana State Arboretum created inside Chicot State Park; it is the oldest state-supported arboretum in the United States.

The arboretum's name honors Caroline Dormon, A. G. Lawton and J. D. Lafleur Sr., who led 1950s efforts to create it, with the Magnolia Garden Club, Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce of Ville Platte. The J.D. LaFleur Nature Center carries one founder's name. Visitors walk among centuries-old beech, magnolia, oak and ash trees, with ferns, hickories, maples, sycamores and crane fly orchids beneath them.

Five miles of marked trails including the Walker Branch Trail and Backbone Ridge Trail allow visitors to explore the grounds on foot. Native wildlife can be observed throughout as you walk through different forest sections.

Many of the trees here are several centuries old, embodying a living record of forest growth and change over time. Notably, the grounds display nearly every vegetation type found in Louisiana except coastal marsh and prairie.