Bishop Museum’s Botany Collection Attains Digitization Milestone

# Bishop Museum's Botany Collection Attains Digitization Milestone

Featuring the largest Hawaiian plant collection in the world, all 180,000-plus specimens are now digitally accessible to the public

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi — Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, the State of Hawai'i Museum of Natural and Cultural History, has attained a digitization milestone in its Botany collection: featuring the largest Hawaiian plant collection in the world, all 180,000-plus specimens are now digitally accessible to the public.

Digitally scanned images of the specimens, photography from the field, scientific names, plants' occurrences throughout the major Hawaiian islands, and other natural history information can be found on the website, PlantsOfHawaii.org. The years-long effort to completely digitize Hawaiʻi's plants is part of Bishop Museum's ongoing Digital Futures Initiative to modernize the Museum's IT infrastructure and expand its digital operations, with the goal to dramatically increase digital access to its knowledge and collections.

"It's vitally important that we understand and have a record of what plants we have in Hawai'i, and especially how invasive species have affected Native plants over time," said Tim Gallaher, Ph.D., Bishop Museum curator of Botany. "For more than a century, Bishop Museum's Natural Science collections have been an invaluable resource for researchers and government agencies around the world. Now, through PlantsOfHawaii.org, anyone can have access to our database of plant information and imagery at anytime, and from anywhere."

In 1992, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature designated Bishop Museum to launch and manage the Hawaiʻi Biological Survey, and its work to track the biota in Hawaiʻi over time — information and observances about plants and animals, where they are observed, who observed them, their ecosystems, and other important data that, paired with the voucher specimens that the Museum cares for, are critical to the work of natural resource managers and those working to preserve the Earth's fragile biodiversity. The Museum's Botany collection currently has more than 500,000 database entries, with 25-50 new introduced species catalogued every year. Some are potentially invasive, while others need to be observed closely over time to determine their effect on our islands' ecosystems.

"Our hope is that through PlantsOfHawaii.org, we can encourage both experts in their field, as well as citizen scientists, to join in the effort to better understand — and protect — our Native flora," said Barbara Kennedy, Bishop Museum Botany collection manager, whose team oversees the digitization project. "Keiki wishing to know more about our ʻaina and the plants in their backyards and gardens are especially welcome to explore our digital resource."

The work of digitizing the Museum's hundreds of thousands of botany specimens is ongoing, and Kennedy thanks the many staff members and community volunteers who have helped in the effort.

"It's truly been a community effort, and we're appreciative of everyone who have helped us reach this milestone," said Kennedy. "The work continues, and we'd like to ask that those who may be interested in donating their time and talents to please visit BishopMuseum.org and learn more. Mahalo nui loa!"