Lāʻau Hawaiʻi- Traditional Hawaiian Uses of Plants

Written by Isabella Aiona Abbott

Cover Material: Softcover, 176 pages

Dr. Isabella Aiona Abbott (1919–2010), renowned Hawaiian ethnobotanist, created this comprehensive collection of chapters on the traditional Hawaiian uses of plants. This book was the first of its kind, providing comprehensive descriptions of the uses and value of Hawaiian plants as well as images of the plants and crafts.

A wide variety of subjects are gathered together in a single volume: food, clothing, cordage, shelter, canoes, tools, housewares, medicines, religious objects, weaponry, personal adornment, and recreation. This text provides detail and context to how Hawaiians cultivated and used plants for food, clothing, shelter, transport and tools, as well as religion and recreation.

There is a chapter dedicated to the staple crops, kalo and ʻuala, as well as a chapter titles “Food Plants from Aquatic Sources,” on limu, Dr. Abbott’s area of expertise. As a multifaceted reference, Lā‘au Hawai‘i is a great reference and tool for anyone interested in diving deeper into Hawaiian plants and culture. It makes an easy reference with an index for each plant, its proportion, and principal use.