With the generous support of the Dolores Furtado Martin Foundation, Bishop Museum Press has reprinted Lā‘au Hawai‘i: Traditional Hawaiian Uses of Plants in celebration of the 100^th birthday of the author, Dr. Isabella Aiona Abbott (1919–2010). The preeminent Hawaiian ethnobotanist assembled this comprehensive collection of chapters on the traditional Hawaiian uses of plants. A wide variety of subjects are gathered together in a single volume: food, clothing, cordage, shelter, canoes, tools, housewares, medicines, religious objects, weaponry, personal adornment, and recreation. There is a chapter dedicated to the staple crops, kalo and ‘uala. There is a chapter on hula and music. There is a chapter titled “Food Plants from Aquatic Sources,” on limu, Dr. Abbott’s area of expertise. As a multifaceted reference, Lā‘au Hawai‘i is a great tool to anyone interested in Hawaiian plants and culture.

Date of Publication: 1992
Reprinted: 2019, 2023
Size: 9 x 12 in.
Pages: 176 pages, illustrated
Binding: paper
ISBN: 9780930897628