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.

This new 2-volume edition of “the most significant botanical publication on Pacific plants in recent decades” (Flora Vitiensis Nova) includes an extensive addendum providing information on newly described species, nomenclatural changes, and new island records, together with a bibliography of important taxonomic references published since the first edition. The status of 271 species newly listed as endangered or threatened has also been updated.

"The manual of the flowering plants of Hawai'i is the first complete compendium of the flowering plants of the Hawaiian Archipelago since Hillebrand's classic Flora of the Hawaiian Islands, published a century ago. The Hawaiian Archipelago, the most isolated major island group in the world, has long been known for the remarkable diversity of its ecological environments and for the high level of endemism in its fauna and flora. From approximately 280 successful flowering plant colonists, at least 956 species of flowering plants have evolved, about 89 percent of which are endemic. The Hawaiian flora is so distinctive that it is assigned to its own floristic region by most phytogeographers. Authors Wagner, Herbst, and Sohmer, and more than fifty collaborating specialists, provide keys to and descriptions of the 146 families, 649 genera, and 1,817 species of native and naturalized plants, arranged alphabetically within the dicots and monocots. Each species is provided with its accepted scientific name, Hawaiian and English common names, nomenclatural and taxonomic synonyms, chromosome numbers if available, and geographical and ecological ranges, as well as notes on taxonomic problems and citation of relevant literature. Ethnobotanical information is also given for many species. Two hundred forty full-page plates illustrate more than half of the species and nearly all genera. An index, literature cited section, and voucher information for the plants illustrated are included. The authors have also provided chapters on the project history and methods of preparation of the treatments and on the geology, climate, and vegetation of the Hawaiian Archipelago. They have evaluated available information concerning endangered native species and have compiled an accurate census of such plants. For many of the genera, the treatments presented here include changes and details usually given in revisions. The reevaluations have resulted in substantial changes in the taxonomy of many genera of Hawaiian plants. By taking this approach, the authors have provided the foundation and hypotheses for a new era in the systematic, evolutionary, and biogeographical study of this fascinating flora" -- Dust jacket.

The Hawaiian islands, isolated by thousands of miles of ocean for millions of years, posses a unique assemblage of native flowers and plants. This text describes more than 130 indigenous and endemic species of Hawaiian plants, their characteristics and habitats, and how they came to be. The photographs aim to provide an easy and accurate means of recognizing a given plant and serve as a permanent record of the Hawaiian islands' fast-disappearing native flora.