Lyon Arboretum

The Arboretum is a 193.5 acre botanical garden located deep in Manoa Valley. Its rich cultural and natural resources provide a unique outdoor teaching environment. The Lyon Arboretum is administered by the University of Hawai`i, and is utilized to help fulfill the University's Mission of Education, Research and Community Service. The Arboretum's living collection of approximately 5,000 species includes native Hawaiian plants, Polynesian introductions and collections of plants from tropical areas all over the world.

To increase the appreciation of the unique flora of Hawai`i and the tropics by conserving, curating, and studying plants and their habitats; providing inclusive educational opportunities; encouraging use by the broader community; and supporting the educational, scientific, and service activities of the University of Hawai`i. The Arboretum was established in 1918 by the Hawai`i Sugar Planters Association (HSPA) to serve as a test site to evaluate trees for reforestation in heavily altered watersheds. In 1953 HSPA gave the deed to the University of Hawai`i "...to use, maintain and preserve the granted premises as an arboretum and botanical garden only." The University continues to administer the site as a botanical garden and plant conservation research site, provides guided tours, informal education classes for adults and children, K-12 curriculum and school field trips for thousands of Hawaii's children.