Flora Hawaiiensis or The New Illustrated Flora of the Hawaiian Islands (Books 1 - 4 Bound Together) by Otto Degener
The contents of this volume were released in loose leaf fascicles, or Centuries, to be added to these specially designed bindings in an orderly taxonomic sequence.
Privately published by the author, 1946 (as a bound unit). Brown, black, and yellow illustrated covers fastened by three metal screws, easily undone to allow for insertion of new Centuries as produced by Deneger.
Good. The book is firm and square despite spine detachment. There are no loose pages. Cover edges are heavily rubbed and torn, with exposure at the fore and rear edges. Scattered spotting to fore page edge and preliminaries; pencil markings to the first page. Internally clean on the whole. No other markings. Occasional spotting, edge toning.
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Otto Degener, a renowned botanist and conservationist, was a leading expert on Hawaiian flora. He not only documented the islands' plant life in his groundbreaking work, Flora Hawaiiensis (1932), but also raised awareness about conserving native habitats threatened by invasive species and rampant development.
Degener's collection, encompassing 36,000 species, included 900 endangered plants, making his herbarium the most extensive and valuable collection of Hawaiian specimens. Many of his samples are now housed in The New York Botanical Garden's Herbarium.
