We at the Lyon Arboretum, University of Hawai`i, have accumulated a large collection of plant images over the years, and are constantly adding more.  These are taken partly because of their beauty, but mostly for documentation of collections and as aids in identification.  This website is our way of sharing these photos with others, and displaying our collections to those who cannot visit them.  Our main collections are palms, aroids, heliconias, gingers, Marantaceae, Ficus, and native Hawaiian plants.  We have lesser collections of bromeliads, ferns, and cycads.  We also have many interesting plants gained from collecting trips and trading with other botanic gardens and collectors.

    With digital photography becoming higher quality and inexpensive, we are increasing the rate of our photo documentation.  Progress is steady but slow.  We have recently (November 2006) re-formatted our site to make it easier to use and more appealing.  The three columns in each page contain 1) thumbnails (without larger linked photos); 2) the name of the plant (with a link to a much more detailed PDF containing photos, accession information, the author of the name and nativity of the plant, and information gathered from the literature), and 3) the date the PDF was posted on line or last modified.  In the future we may add other information such as bibliographic references, links to uncopyrighted articles, etc. 

    We have made an honest effort to verify the accuracy of our identifications, often checking with authorities of specific groups before posting our information.  However, we know there will be mistakes.  If you feel we have made an error please contact us at raymondb@hawaii.edu immediately so we can correct the error.  It will be very helpful if you can cite the source of your information.  For plants growing in Hawai`i, we use several references. 

For native Hawaiian plants and naturalized plants:
Wagner, Herbst & Sohmer (1999) Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai`i (rev. ed.). 

For cultivated plants:
Staples & Herbst (2005) A Tropical Garden Flora. 

For native Hawaiian and naturalized ferns;
Palmer (2003) Hawaii’s Ferns and Fern Allies. 

We hope you will find this website both attractive and useful.

These materials are freely provided for instructional and educational purposes. Any duplication or publication of text or images herein for commercial gain without explicit written permission of the owner or photographer constitutes breach of trust and violation of copyright.