Hawaiian Plant Life Vegetation and Flora by Robert J. Gustafson, Derral R. Herbst, Philip W. Rundel (review)

Hawaiian Plant Life Vegetation and Flora is a pleasure to read for anyone interested in Hawaiian natural history, with up-to-date summaries of the geology, climate, plant communities, and evolutionary studies of the native Hawaiian flora. Descriptions of a surprising large portion of the native flowering plants and ferns are a major part of the book. Through its excellent color photographs of the species, Hawaiian Plant Life brings to life many of the unique species described in greater detail in the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai‘i (1990, revised 1999 version; referred to here as the Manual) and Hawai‘i’s Ferns and Fern Allies. I was as engrossed in Hawaiian Plant Life now as I was decades ago when I read Carlquist’s Hawaii A Natural History as a graduate student. Hawaiian Plant Life reflects the current view of longtime observers of the Hawaiian flora, and does not mince words on the need for greater education and outreach to enlighten the public and politicians about conservation and restoration of what remains of Hawaiian biodiversity.

Hawaiian Plant Life was designed for ‘lay botanists, tropical gardeners, ecologists, and others interested in Hawaiian natural history’ (p. xi). The first three chapters of this book address the natural history of the islands. A concise summary of current understanding of the physical setting of the Hawaiian Islands is described in accessible prose, with explanations of the geological origin of the islands, factors controlling the climate of the islands, and acknowledgement of the importance and scale of microclimates that are so characteristic of Hawaii (Chapter 1). Short descriptions of the land use and photographs of not only the main islands but also the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands give the reader a feeling for the unique history of each island. Some knowledge of geographical features of the Hawaiian Islands is assumed, so many readers will benefit greatly by consulting sources with more detailed maps while reading these general chapters as well as the species descriptions. The second chapter examines the evolution of the flora as a whole, discussing adaptive radiation within the timeframe of the Hawaiian Islands. Well studied lineages, including those that underwent extensive radiation, are highlighted to better understand why the Hawaiian Islands have such a high proportion of unique species in the flora. The relative importance of classic concepts including hybridization, sexual dimorphism, insular woodiness, and loss of herbivore defenses within the Hawaiian flora are summarized briefly. Each chapter is associated with a few original primary source articles for readers interested in exploring these patterns in more detail. Hawaiian plant communities (Chapter 3) are characterized not only by rainfall, altitude, and slope and aspect, but also with incorporation of more recent information when available on substrate age, soils, and nutrients. The importance of microclimates and impact of alien invasive species and human disturbances on these communities is also considered. The number of communities is reduced relative to earlier works, making it much easier to see larger patterns of distribution, with recognition that individual species often occur across community types. Readers familiar with the scientific names of the native Hawaiian species will find it relatively easy to follow the correspondence between the communities described here and earlier classifications. The discussion of communities is appropriately specific to Hawaii. Current and future studies testing hypotheses on community assembly, the role of functional traits, and other interactions affecting community composition will find the information in this book extremely useful.

One goal of Hawaiian Plant Life is to serve as a ‘stand-alone volume’ or ‘companion volume to Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai‘i and Hawai‘i’s Ferns and Fern Allies’ (p. xi). The inclusion of both flowering plants and ferns together in one book gives a more complete picture of general patterns within the native flora. Short descriptions and photographs of individual...