Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden
Amy B.H. Greenwell Garden is on the Kona side of the Island of Hawai‘i, 22 miles south of Keahole Airport.
Here are detailed directions.
The
focus of this 15-acre botanical garden
is Hawaiian ethnobotany,
the study of Hawaiian people and the ir
plants. The garden is named for kama‘āina
botanist Amy
Greenwell.
At the Garden, you will see over 200 species of plants that grew in the traditional farms and native forests of Kona before Captain Cook arrived in the late 18th century. There are endemic, indigenous, and Polynesian introduced plants. These include the most important plants in Hawaiian culture, such as taro and kukui, and scores of rare and endangered native species such as the beautiful koki‘o.
The Garden landscape reflects the biogeographical
zones of a typical Kona ahupua‘a. There are
four zones: coastal, dry forest, agricultural,
and upland forest. The plants on the upper five
acres of the Garden grow within an archaeological
site.
In this site you will walk among the stonework features of the Kona Field System , a 50 square mile network of farms and gardens that dominated the landscape in the time before foreign contact.
Depending on the time of year you may be able to visit the Garden’s native insect house, featuring Kamehameha butterflies.
Most self-guided visitors spend a half-hour to an hour at the Garden. There are panels around a short looping trail at the center of the garden. Plants throughout the garden have labels that explore their traditional uses.
You will find cold water and accessible restrooms near the office. Most of the Garden is easy walking on graveled paths. The trai to the upland forest area is steep. We recommend sunscreen, hats, and mosquito lotion.