Online Resources
If you are interested in learning more about native Hawaiian plants, here is a list of our favorite sites. (Also, of course, don't forget about the many excellent books and journal articles we have listed on the References page.)
A Native Hawaiian Garden: A sister site by Koebele focused on how to propagate and grow native Hawaiian plants.
Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden: Located on Hawai‘i Island in Captain Cook, this garden is open to the public and displays many native Hawaiian plants. For those not able to visit in person, the website provides a virtual tour highlighting many of the Garden's plants.
Auwahi Forest Restoration Project The Auwahi project has been in operation for 25 years and is now widely regarded as one of the most successful examples of community-based native forest restoration in the islands.
Bishop Museum Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database: A good but incomplete site to learn about how Hawaiians used native plants.
Bishop Museum Plants of Hawai‘i: A still-expanding site that describes both technical and cultural information about plants found in Hawai‘i.
Dryland Forest Symposium Videos: A video collection of presentations at the Dryland Forest Symposium from 2011 to the present.
Flora of the Hawaiian Islands: A collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution (Department of Botany) and the National Tropical Botanical Garden and a compliment to the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai‘i. Vols. 1 and 2 (1990) with occasional taxonomy and data updates.
Hawaii Horticulture: Throughout his professional life, the late Greg Koob vigorously promoted the widespread cultivation of native Hawaiian plants. This website is just one of his many efforts.
Hawaiian Dictionaries: A reliable resource for Hawaiian word definitions and meanings with use of ʻokina (glottal stop) and kahakō (macron).
Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Database: A good but dated site on how to propagate native Hawaiian plants.
Mālama Learning Center: MLC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit environmental education organization located and working (primarily) in Leeward O‘ahu. Their website has lots of native plant educational resources geared toward schools and communities, as well as being a great place to become involved in native plant restoration.
NTBG Tropical Plant Database: Descriptions of tropical plants from around the world, including many native Hawaiian plants growing in the National Tropical Botanical Gardens.
Studia Mirabilium: A blog by Sebastian Marquez where he chronicles his diverse experiences with (mostly) Hawai‘i's flora and fauna.
Verdant Dwellings: An Australian nursery with many informative blogs and videos on topics like: What is 'Artillery Fungus' and Why You Should Care and Potting Up Indoor Plants.
Waikōloa Dry Forest Initiative: WDFI is a 501(c)(3) non-profit environmental education and restoration organization located in Waikōloa on Hawai‘i Island. Their website has lots of information about dryland native plants and their restoration educational resources, as well as being a great place to become involved in native plant restoration.