Both ornamental and food plants common to gardens in Hawaii are included in this easy-to-us book. You will find concise information about propagation, culture and pest control, as well as a description of the plant and its origins. Many gardeners in Hawaii are familiar with the name Fortunato Teho. The late Mr. Teho's gardening column was avidly read by plant lovers throughout Hawaii. The text has been updated to include new information on disease and pest control and plant culture.
This book is intended as a general introduction to the ethnobotany of the Hawaiians and as such it presumes, on the part of the reader, little background in either botany or Hawaiian ethnology. It describes the plants themselves, whether cultivated or brought from the forests, streams, or ocean, as well as the modes of cultivation and collection. It discusses the preparation and uses of the plant materials, and the methods employed in building houses and making canoes, wearing apparel, and the many other artifacts that were part of the material culture associated with this farming and fishing people.
The Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated archipelago on Earth. The chance arrival of plants and animals to these rich volcanic islands resulted in the evolution of a host of unique speciesalmost 90 percent of the plants native to this island chain do not occur anywhere else in the world. But the Hawaiian Islands were not to remain as they were. They were discovered by humans, and with the settlers came other invaders. Native species, which had evolved with few natural enemies, had little or no protection. The invasion had begun. The losses suffered have been huge, and until recently, few understood how much was being lost as these biological riches vanished from the Pacific Basin. Focusing on plants endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaii's Native Plants also includes a sampling of species that occur elsewhere in the Pacific Basin, as well as those brought by early settlers, and other alien species. Dr. Bohm begins with the basic questions island biologists ask: Where is everything? How did it all get here? When did it all happen? The reader will also learn of the islands' fascinating geological history and the development of its native flowering plants and ferns, and the pests that have wreaked or threatened havoc on island biodiversity and others whose impact remains to be seen. The concept of endemism, or "nativeness," is also discussed. The scope of the discussion is invaluable in answering the question of what can we do now to protect what remains of Hawaii's priceless natural heritage.
This classic, award-winning book provides the first comprehensive description of Hawaiian traditions of plant use. Topics include not only food, but clothing, cordage, shelter, canoes, tools, housewares, medicines, religious objects, weaponry, personal adornment, and recreation.
Hawai‘i is home to some of the rarest plants in the world, many of them now threatened by extinction. Despite a benign and nurturing climate, native species are declining almost everywhere in the Islands. Human-introduced pests, the spread of competing alien plants, wildfires, urban and agricultural development, and other disturbances of modern life are eliminating native species at an alarming pace. In fact, 38 percent of all plants on the U.S. endangered species list are native Hawaiian plants. A Native Hawaiian Garden is an effort to help stem the tide. Until recent years, few people attempted to raise native plants in their gardens, in schoolyards and parks, or around public buildings. But this situation is changing as essential information about raising native plants becomes more readily available. A Native Hawaiian Garden offers the most in-depth treatment yet on cultivating and propagating native Hawaiian plants. Following an overview of Hawaiian natural history and conservation, the book treats 63 species (many for the first time), giving detailed information on all stages of gardening: from preparing seeds for germination to the care and tending of the young plants in the landscape. Habitats where the plants are most likely to thrive are also described, as well as the uses that native Hawaiians made of the plants. Over 90 color photographs enhance the book. A Native Hawaiian Garden has much to offer professional horticulturists, landscapers, and botanists, and gives reason to hope that more spaces around housing developments, shopping malls, and other commercial buildings will soon include native plants. But the book will prove especially valuable to those gardeners who wish to grow and nurture something truly Hawaiian in their own backyards. Among the many rewards of growing natives, the authors make clear, is the opportunity to contribute your own experiences and findings to a vital preservation effort.
Hawaiian Plant Life has been written with both the layperson and professional interested in Hawai‘i’s natural history and flora in mind. In addition to significant text describing landforms and vegetation, the evolution of Hawaiian flora, and the conservation of native species, the book includes almost 875 color photographs illustrating nearly two-thirds of native Hawaiian plant species as well as a concise description of each genus and species shown. The work can be used either as a stand-alone reference or as a companion to the two-volume Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai‘i. Learning more about threatened and endangered plants is essential to conserving them, and there is no more endangered flora in the world today than that of the Hawaiian Islands. Striking species complexes such as the silverswords and the remarkable lobeliads represent unique stories of adaptive radiation that make the Hawai‘i a living laboratory for evolution. Public appreciation for Hawaiian biodiversity requires outreach and education that will determine the future conservation of this rich heritage, and Hawaiian Plant Life has been designed to help fill that need.
