Fact Sheet

Federally chartered by the United States Congress in 1964 as a not-for-profit institution, the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is dedicated to tropical plant research, conservation and education. As the only tropical botanical garden with a charter from the United States Congress, NTBG is comprised of a network of gardens and preserves, including McBryde Garden, Allerton Garden, and Limahuli Garden and Preserve on the island of Kaua‘i; Kahanu Garden on Maui; The Kampong in Florida; and two preserves on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. With nearly 1,800 acres encompassing various tropical ecosystems, extensive living collections of endangered or at-risk species, and precious cultural and historical features, NTBG plays an important role in the complex web of life. NTBG relies on support from the community, private foundations, donors and its members to fulfill its mission.

To enrich life through discovery, scientific research, conservation, and education by perpetuating the survival of plants, ecosystems, and cultural knowledge of tropical regions.

The living collections are at the very core of NTBG’s mission. While the collection focus varies from garden to garden, there is some overlap, widening NTBG’s conservation, research, and education value and efforts. Each collection at each garden plays an important role in the overall objectives of the institution.

The collections in McBryde Garden constitute NTBG’s largest holdings at any one location. McBryde contains plant species from the Old and New World Tropics, some of which are extinct in the wild. The emphasis is on wild-collected specimens, particularly those endemic to Hawai‘i and other Pacific islands. Intensive field collecting efforts have resulted in the world’s largest assemblage of native Hawaiian plant species. These collections are located on the southern shore of the island of Kaua‘i.

At-risk native species are also a major component of the collections at Limahuli Garden and Preserve. Complementing McBryde Garden, Limahuli is located on the island’s north shore, which contains micro-climates better suited to rain forest plants. A Preserve adjacent to the Garden serves as an excellent resource for restoration ecology. Collections in both the Garden and in the lower Preserve showcase plants recognized for their ethnobotanical value to the ancient Hawaiians.

The plants in the Allerton Garden were selected for their visual interest. Most were brought to this south Kaua‘i location by the Allertons, who acquired the property in the late 1930s. World travelers, the Allertons brought back exceptional tropical plants and created a garden paradise comprised of outdoor “rooms” made of walls of plants surrounding gravity-fed pools and fountains.

Kahanu Garden, on the eastern shore of the island of Maui, focuses its living collections on plants of cultural value to Pacific Island peoples. These contain not only endemic Hawaiian species, but also species of other Polynesian islands, as well as Micronesia and Melanesia. Kahanu Garden hosts the world’s largest collection of breadfruit, once a food staple in these tropical areas.

Living collections at NTBG’s Florida garden, The Kampong, contain heritage plants primarily from Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Many were collected and planted by renowned horticulturist and plant collector Dr. David Fairchild. These collections provide an invaluable resource today for the study of horticulture and botany.

The herbarium collection is one of NTBG’s oldest collections and is housed at NTBG’s research headquarters on Kaua‘i. It consists of more than 55,000 preserved, dried and pressed plant specimens (vouchers), which serve as a significant resource for scientific research, including floristic (study of the plants of a geographically or politically defined region) and systematic (classification and naming of organisms) studies. The collection concentrates on plants of the Hawaiian Islands and the tropical Pacific region. NTBG has compiled the most comprehensive modern collection of vouchers of Hawaiian and Marquesan plants anywhere, including a number of species that are now extinct. Plant specimens are collected at an astonishing annual rate of 2,400 through hundreds of collecting expeditions by NTBG field botanists and as gifts for identification and exchanges with other institutions. Each specimen and its collection location is meticulously documented and identified by botanical experts. The value of NTBG’s herbarium collection is enhanced by its proximity to the living collections and to the library collection.

NTBG’s library collection, with more than 44,000 botanical and horticultural books, prints and images, is located at NTBG’s research headquarters on Kaua‘i. One of the most comprehensive library collections relating to botany and horticulture in the region, the library features botanical literature; early herbals and floras dating back to the 1500s, many of which are rare volumes; and unpublished documents and illustrations. It also houses more recently published books and papers, including those published by NTBG, containing results of modern research discoveries related to tropical plants. In addition, it contains original botanical art as well as a significant collection of slides and photographic prints with images of Hawaiian and Pacific island plants and people.

More than a botanical garden, NTBG’s gardens are living classrooms for students of all ages and backgrounds. NTBG’s educational programs are multifaceted and multileveled, reaching out to local, national and international audiences. Underlying the educational programs is a commitment to promote public understanding of tropical plants and their ecosystems as well as traditional knowledge and practices. Through these programs as well as through publications, lectures and tours of the gardens, NTBG strives to increase the public’s awareness of the fragile state of many ecosystems and plant populations and what can be done to save them.

NTBG has helped to improve the quality of classroom science education through its courses for university and college biology professors, as well as for elementary and secondary science teachers. Local programs such as Garden As Classroom, Science Teachers’ Enrichment Program, School Program - Kahanu Garden, Junior Restoration Team and the Apprentice Program provide many students with their first introduction to understanding the importance of preserving rare and endangered plants.

NTBG has developed a variety of courses covering horticulture, botany, ethnobotany, conservation biology and restoration ecology specifically for graduate and undergraduate students all over the world. Other NTBG programs introduce physicians to the medicinal properties of plants or help to educate journalists on the deep background of the environment about which they write. National and international programs include Horticultural Internship Program, Tropical Ethnobotany Course, Science Teachers’ Enrichment Program, College Biology Professors’ Fellowship, Environmental Journalism Fellowship and a Physicians’ Course.

As a non-profit organization, NTBG relies on support from the community, private foundations, donors and its members to fulfill its mission to preserve and perpetuate tropical plants for future generations. As such, the Garden has launched a new membership campaign—Our Garden. Our World.—with new membership levels and benefits. Members’ dues help support the vital activities that make the difference in saving and understanding tropical plants, which are at the most risk of extinction. Memberships range from $50 to $1,000 and include unlimited admission for garden tours, 10 percent discount at the Garden Shops, members’ publications and invitations to NTBG lectures and events. Supporting Member ($500) and Silver Fellow ($1,000) membership levels offer additional benefits such as special edition Our Garden. Our World. gardening gloves or an Our Garden. Our World. t-shirt.

www.OurGardenOurWorld.com

(808) 332-7324 x246

National Tropical Botanical Garden Headquarters 3530 Papalina Road Kalaheo, HI 96741 USA

(808) 332-7324
www.ntbg.org

Charles R. "Chipper" Wichman, Jr.

Media Contact
Caroline Witherspoon or Danielle Douglass
Becker Communications, Inc. (808) 533-4165