The mission of the Honolulu Botanical Gardens is to plan, develop, curate, maintain and study documented collections of tropical plants in an aesthetic setting for the purposes of:

Conservation

The Honolulu Botanical Gardens is dedicated to the conservation of flora from the topics and subtropics including our own native Hawaiian flora. We are a participating institution of the Center for Plant Conservation, a national network of botanical gardens working to save the endangered plants of the United States.

Botany

Plants from various geographical areas of the world are grown to support the scientific study of plants.

Horticulture

Only the highest standards of horticultural practice are pursued in maintaining the plant collections of the Honolulu Botanical Gardens. Together, these five gardens have the largest collection of tropical plants in the United States.

Education

Emphasis is placed on developing quality botanical interpretive programs that will ensure greater public awareness of world conservation issues and increase understanding of the value of plants.

Recreation

Recreational programs that are appropriate to a botanical garden yet responsive to community needs are being developed. In this way, these gardens can renew our communities by enriching the quality of life.