Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden

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United States of America - Hawaii - Captain Cook

Institution Code: HAGB

BGCI Member: No

About the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden

Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden supports Hawaiian cultural traditions of land use and plants and conserves the plant resources of traditional Hawaiian cultural activities.

The focus of this 15-acre botanical garden is Hawaiian ethnobotany, the study of Hawaiian people and their plants. The garden is named for kama‘āina botanist Amy Greenwell.

At the Garden, you will see over 200 species of plants that grew in the traditional farms and native forests of Kona before Captain Cook arrived in the late 18th century. There are endemic, indigenous, and Polynesian introduced plants. These include the most important plants in Hawaiian culture, such as taro and kukui, and scores of rare and endangered native species such as the beautiful koki‘o.

The Garden landscape reflects the biogeographical zones of a typical Kona ahupua‘a. There are four zones: coastal, dry forest, agricultural, and upland forest. The plants on the upper five acres of the Garden grow within an archaeological site.

In this site you will walk among the stonework features of the Kona Field System , a 50 square mile network of farms and gardens that dominated the landscape in the time before foreign contact.

Depending on the time of year you may be able to visit the Garden’s native insect house, featuring Kamehameha butterflies.

Most self-guided visitors spend a half-hour to an hour at the Garden. There are panels around a short looping trail at the center of the garden. Plants throughout the garden have labels that explore their traditional uses.

Main Address:
Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden
Bishop Museum
P.O. Box 1053
Captain Cook
Hawaii 96704 United States of America

Telephone: (808) 323-3318
Fax: (808) 323-2394
URL: www.bishopmuseum.org/exhibits/greenwell/greenwell.html
Primary Email: agg@bishopmuseum.org

Staff Details

  • Director's Name: Peter Van Dyke, Manager
    Curator's Name:
    Plant Records Officer's Name: Peter Van Dyke

About the Garden

  • Institution Type: Botanic Garden
  • Status
  • Status: Satellite: Yes
  • Date founded: 1975
  • Physical Data
  • Total Area: 6 Hectares
    Latitude: 21.3334521
    Longitude: -157.8696385
    Altitude: 0.00 Metres

Features and Facilities

  • Open to public: Yes
  • Number of Visitors: 10361

Plant Collections

  • Cultivation Taxa Num: 200
  • Special Collections:Hibiscus, Hawaiian bananas, taro, sugar cane.

Conservation Programmes

  • Conservation Programme: Yes

Research Programmes

Education Programmes