The Manual of the flowering plants of Hawai'i by Warren L. Wagner, Derral R. Herbst, and S. H. Sohmer, along with 50 collaborating specialists, will be a two volume work on all of the flowering plants in the Hawaiian Archipelago that are native or introduced and growing outside of cultivation. It will be copublished by the University of Hawaii Press and Bishop Museum Press. The Manual is estimated to contain about 2,000 printed pages, including a full index and 245 full-page plates, illustrating over 1,000 species. The Manual will include information pertinent to the identification, description, and distribution of about 1820 species of flowering plants. It also gives commentary on aspects of their biology such as hybridization, native names and uses, evolution, and problems for further study. The authors used current systematic methods to achieve an updated classification for Hawaiian plants and provide means to identify the native and 1,000 alien plant species that currently grow wild in the islands. The rarity of each native species was also evaluated by international definitions used by conservation biologists. This new evaluation suggests that 38% (423) of the species are rare, endangered or already extinct. Thus, Hawai'i has more rare and endangered plants than any other state in the U.S. except California. The first and only previous comprehensive reference work on the flora of Hawai'i was published in 1888 by W. Hillebrand. Since that time, our knowledge of the flora has increased considerably with the publication of hundreds of scientific papers, and over 700 additional alien species have become established in the islands. The Manual provides a synthesis of the published information, incorporates extensive unpublished field knowledge, and presents a modern and often original scheme of classification for these plants. This work will be an indispensable tool for present and future biological researchers, conservationists, land-use planners, and amateur naturalists as well as for those involved in agriculture, ranching, and forestry. This project provides partial publication support for the Manual.
