The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is the only tropical plant research institute and botanical garden in the United States, chartered by Congress in 1964. Headquartered on Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, NTBG operates five botanical gardens — McBryde, Allerton, Limahuli, Kahanu, and the Kampong in Florida — together preserving more than 30,000 accessions of tropical plants.
NTBG’s mission centers on a biocultural approach that integrates Indigenous knowledge, community priorities, and scientific research. The garden’s work spans tropical plant conservation, restoration of rare and endangered species, ethnobotanical research, and the curation of the world’s most comprehensive database of tropical plant uses. NTBG is a leader in the global effort to prevent plant extinctions, having developed seed storage and propagation techniques that underpin efforts to safeguard species such as the ʻōhiʻa lehua against Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death.
NTBG maintains active collaboration with the IUCN through its work with the IUCN Species Survival Commission and is a key partner in the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s contributions to the Global Trees Campaign. The garden’s combination of congressional charter status, research depth, and Pacific-based field site gives it a distinctive voice in tropical plant conservation.
