Nursury Suggestions

[Mitzi M]

Noel, There's an awesome book I found- Wayside Plants of the Islands: A Guide to Lowland Flora of the Pacific Islands, by Arthur Whistler. It covers naturalized plants (which is to say, introduced plants that have become weeds). The library has it, but I had to buy my own since its such a great reference. Another good one is Weeds of Hawai'i's Pastures and Natural Areas, by Motooka et.al., published by CTAR - (I think you have to order that one from them online.) Also, here's a good website to check out - another one by USDA/HEAR.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/invasiveOne?pubID=HEAR

These will help you ID the non-natives. As for the natives, I have wished for a long time that there was something more like a comprehensive field guide - but since each area/forest community is so distinct I guess it would be a hard thing to pull off. Mark Merlin's Hawaiian Forest Plants is a good reference. Angela Kepler's Tree's of Hawai'i is a quick guide to common non-natives and natives alike. And A Pocket Guide to Hawai'i's Trees and Shrubs, by Douglas Pratt covers natives and naturalized plants too. I think these might get you off to a good start. Maybe other folks know of some good plant references too...Happy plant ID-ing!

Aloha,
Mitzi


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