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About Hawai'i's Botanical Gardens

 

The term "botanical garden" has been applied to gardens ranging from research gardens associated with major botanical institutes to municipal gardens which support little scientific activity. In addition, public and private "botanical gardens" exist which contain superb plant collections, but do not provide labeling or maintain records on the plants in the collection.

The 1989 Botanic Gardens Conservation Strategy published by World Wildlife Fund and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources defined a botanical garden as a "garden containing scientifically ordered and maintained collections of plants, usually documented and labelled, and open to the public for the purposes of recreation, education and research."

Botanical gardens in Hawai'i play an active role in the preservation of our native flora. The Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, Honolulu Botanical Gardens, Harold H. Lyon Arboretum, National Tropical Botanical Garden, and Waimea Valley are participating institutions in the Center for Plant Conservation's National Collection whose mission is to preserve endangered plants in the United States. These gardens work together to develop conservation plant collections, to conduct research on propagation of endangered plants and in studies of restoration ecology. The collaborative efforts of these botanical gardens are crucial to the continued existence of Hawai'i's endangered plants.

For more information on botanical gardens, visit the American Public Gardens Association Web site.

NOTE: Every effort has been made to ensure the currency and accuracy of the information provided on each garden. Nevertheless, please contact the garden directly when planning your visit.

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