Hawaiian Plant Life is crafted for both general readers and professionals with an interest in Hawaiʻi’s natural history and plant diversity. Alongside substantial discussions of landforms and vegetation, the evolution of Hawaiian flora, and the conservation of native species, the book features nearly 875 full-color photographs representing close to two-thirds of Hawaiʻi’s native plant species. Each illustrated genus and species is accompanied by a concise, informative description. The volume functions equally well as a comprehensive reference on its own or as a visual companion to the two-volume Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaiʻi.

Understanding threatened and endangered plants is fundamental to their protection, and few places on Earth face greater botanical peril than the Hawaiian Islands. Iconic plant groups such as the silverswords and the extraordinary lobeliads tell powerful stories of adaptive radiation, underscoring Hawaiʻi’s role as a living laboratory of evolution. Long-term conservation of this exceptional biodiversity depends on public awareness and education, and Hawaiian Plant Life was created to support that vital mission.

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by Robert J. Gustafson, Derral R. Herbst, and Philip W. Rundel

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Hardcover | 336 pages 

University of Hawaiʻi Press