ntbg.org

The Breadfruit Institute is a program of the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) that works to promote the conservation, study, and use of breadfruit for food and reforestation. If you want to understand what the Institute actually focuses on, the short answer is that it sits at the intersection of plant conservation, scientific research, and practical use — specifically, using breadfruit as a resource for food security and for restoring tree cover in tropical regions.

What the Institute Is For

NTBG describes the Breadfruit Institute's purpose directly: to promote the conservation, study, and use of breadfruit for food and reforestation. That single sentence contains three distinct activities, and it helps to separate them:

• Conservation — keeping breadfruit diversity alive and available, which matters because breadfruit is a long-lived tree crop rather than a seasonal field crop.
• Study — research into the plant itself, its varieties, and how it grows.
• Use — applying that knowledge toward food and reforestation goals, rather than treating breadfruit as a botanical curiosity.

The pairing of "food" and "reforestation" in the same mission is the key idea. Breadfruit is a tree that produces an edible staple, so planting it can serve both purposes at once.

How It Fits Into NTBG

The Breadfruit Institute is not a separate organization. It is part of NTBG's broader work, which the garden describes as a biocultural approach — one where Indigenous knowledge, community priorities, and scientific research guide the path forward. NTBG operates across five botanical gardens and works throughout the tropics.

That framing matters for understanding the Institute. Breadfruit is a traditional Pacific crop with deep cultural importance, so an approach that combines Indigenous knowledge with scientific research is consistent with how NTBG describes its overall method. The Institute is one expression of NTBG's stated goal of restoring "flourishing relationships between plants, people, and places."

Where to Find More

If you want to go deeper, NTBG's site provides two relevant entry points:

• A Breadfruit Institute section, with a link to visit the Institute's own pages.
• A Breadfruit link under the site's research tools, alongside resources like the Tropical Plant Database, herbarium search, library, and living collections.

These are the places to look for specifics on breadfruit varieties, research, and programs. The homepage itself gives the mission statement and the navigation path, not the detailed program content.

Who This Is Relevant To

The Institute's focus is most useful if you are:

• Researching breadfruit as a food-security crop in tropical regions.
• Looking for an organization working on reforestation with a food-producing tree.
• Interested in how a botanical garden connects conservation science with community use.

If your interest is general — visiting gardens, membership, or events — the Breadfruit Institute is a specialized part of NTBG rather than the main visitor-facing program. NTBG's five gardens (Limahuli, Kahanu, Allerton, McBryde, and The Kampong) and its membership program are separate from the Institute's research mission, though they fall under the same organization.

The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) provides four main research entry points through its website: the Tropical Plant Database, Herbarium Search, Library, and Living Collections. These tools are aimed at people who need tropical plant information for study, research, or educational purposes. You can reach all of them from the "Research Tools" section of ntbg.org, and none of the pages listed in the site evidence indicate a login requirement or fee to access them.

The four research tools at a glance

Each tool serves a different stage of research. The Tropical Plant Database and Library are starting points for background information, while Herbarium Search and Living Collections connect you to specimens and physical plants.

Tropical Plant Database

This is the most direct resource for anyone who needs descriptive information about tropical plants. Use it when you want to identify a species, check common or scientific names, or gather general plant background before deeper work. It is a reference tool rather than a searchable specimen archive, so treat it as an encyclopedia-style entry point.

How to use it: Open the Tropical Plant Database from the Research Tools menu, then search or browse by plant name. The expected result is an informational entry on the plant you looked up.

Herbarium Search

The Herbarium Search is for specimen-level records rather than general descriptions. Reach for it when you need to know whether a particular plant has been collected, documented, or preserved, or when you are tracing where a specimen originated.

How to use it: Go to Herbarium Search, enter the plant or collection details you have, and review the returned specimen records. This differs from the Tropical Plant Database in that it points to preserved physical evidence, not summary plant profiles.

Library

The Library is NTBG's entry point for reference and literature resources. Use it when your question is about published material, background reading, or supporting documents rather than a single plant fact. It complements the other tools: the database gives you plant facts, the herbarium gives you specimens, and the library gives you written sources.

Living Collections

Living Collections covers the plants NTBG actually grows and maintains across its gardens. This is useful if you want to know what is cultivated rather than only what is documented in records. It pairs naturally with a garden visit, since the collections reflect what is on the ground at NTBG's sites.

How to choose the right tool

• Need a quick plant fact or overview? Start with the Tropical Plant Database.
• Need to confirm a specimen or collection record? Use Herbarium Search.
• Need published or reference material? Go to the Library.
• Need to know what NTBG grows? Check Living Collections.

If your question spans several of these, a practical order is: database first for orientation, herbarium for verification, library for depth, and living collections for the physical counterpart.

Related resources worth knowing

Beyond the four core tools, NTBG also maintains a Breadfruit Institute focused on the conservation, study, and use of breadfruit for food and reforestation. If your research touches breadfruit specifically, that institute is a more targeted entry point than the general tools above. NTBG also publishes materials such as Common Mosses of the Hawaiian Islands, a 100-page pocket guide, which shows the kind of reference output the organization produces alongside its digital tools.

Practical notes

• All four tools are listed together under Research Tools on ntbg.org, so you can move between them from one place.
• The site evidence does not state any cost or account requirement for these research pages; if access terms matter to you, confirm them on the specific tool page before relying on it.
• For direct questions, NTBG lists a contact line at (808) 332-7324 and an administrative email at [email protected].

The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving tropical plant diversity and stemming the tide of extinction through plant exploration, scientific research, and conservation. It works across five botanical gardens and throughout the tropics, using a biocultural approach in which Indigenous knowledge, community priorities, and scientific research guide its work. If you want to understand what NTBG is, what it operates, and how to engage with it, this overview covers the essentials.

What NTBG does

NTBG's stated mission is to preserve tropical plant diversity and slow the loss of species. Its work is organized around a biocultural approach — one that treats plants, people, and places as connected rather than separate concerns. In practice, that means conservation and research decisions are shaped by Indigenous knowledge and community priorities alongside science.

The organization describes its broader aim as restoring flourishing relationships between plants, people, and places.

The five gardens

NTBG operates five botanical gardens and preserves:

Each site has its own character. The Kampong, for example, was once the home of Dr. Eleanor Galt Simmons, Miami-Dade County's first female doctor, long before it became a tropical garden.

Research, science, and collections

Beyond the gardens themselves, NTBG maintains research tools and programs that support its conservation mission:

• Tropical Plant Database — a reference resource on tropical plants
• Herbarium Search — access to preserved plant specimens
• Library — supporting botanical research
• Living Collections — the plants growing across its gardens
• Seed X-ray machine — a recent addition that lets staff see inside a seed without opening it, supporting seed science and conservation

NTBG also publishes educational material. One example is Common Mosses of the Hawaiian Islands, a concise 100-page pocket guide introducing readers to Hawaiʻi's common mosses.

The Breadfruit Institute

One of NTBG's signature programs is the Breadfruit Institute, which works to promote the conservation, study, and use of breadfruit for food and reforestation. It is a distinct focus area within the organization and has its own section on the NTBG website.

How to visit or get involved

NTBG offers several ways to engage:

• Visit — tours are available at the gardens; the site provides a "Book a Tour" option and a garden browser
• Become a member — membership supports NTBG's work, and options include joining, renewing, or giving a membership as a gift
• Donate — direct financial support
• Volunteer — listed among the ways to be involved
• Job opportunities — current openings are posted by the organization
• Newsletter — subscribe for updates

Contact and organizational details

• Phone: (808) 332-7324
• Administration email: [email protected]
• Federal Tax ID: 52-6057064
• Status: 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization

NTBG also maintains a press and media contact channel and publishes stories, events, and science updates through its website.

Current note

NTBG has posted a recovery and disaster relief update related to Hurricane Lowell affecting Kauaʻi Garden. If you are planning a visit or coordinating with the organization, check the site for the latest status before making arrangements.

The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) operates five gardens and preserves, and all five are listed on its website as visitable locations: Limahuli Garden & Preserve, Kahanu Garden & Preserve, Allerton Garden, McBryde Garden, and The Kampong. Four are in Hawaiʻi and one is in Miami, Florida. The site provides a "Browse Gardens" entry point and a "Book a Tour" option, so the practical way to decide is to pick the island or city you will actually be on, then check that garden's tour and booking details before you go.

The five NTBG gardens

NTBG describes its work as spanning "five botanical gardens and throughout the tropics," using a biocultural approach in which Indigenous knowledge, community priorities, and scientific research guide its path.

How to choose which one to visit

The deciding factor is geography, not preference:

• If you are on Kauaʻi: you have three options — Limahuli, Allerton, and McBryde. Limahuli and Kahanu are described as "Garden & Preserve," which signals a combined cultivated-garden and natural-preserve experience, while Allerton and McBryde are listed simply as gardens.
• If you are on Maui: Kahanu Garden & Preserve is the relevant choice.
• If you are in or near Miami: The Kampong is the only NTBG site outside Hawaiʻi.

Because the site lists these as separate destinations rather than a single combined ticket, treat each as its own visit with its own logistics.

How to check tours and book

1. Go to ntbg.org and use the Browse Gardens link to open the garden listings.
2. Select the garden you are considering to see its own page.
3. Use Book a Tour to see whether tours are offered and to reserve.

The homepage also carries a Recovering from Hurricane Lowell section with a "Kauaʻi Garden Recovery & Disaster Relief Update." If your plans involve the Kauaʻi gardens, read that update before booking, since access or operations may be affected.

Other NTBG resources worth knowing

Beyond visiting, the site links to research and reference tools that may matter if your interest is botanical rather than touristic:

• Tropical Plant Database
• Herbarium Search
• Library
• Living Collections
• Breadfruit Institute, which NTBG describes as promoting the conservation, study, and use of breadfruit for food and reforestation

NTBG also publishes material such as Common Mosses of the Hawaiian Islands, a 100-page pocket guide, and has added a seed X-ray machine that lets staff see inside a seed without opening it.

Practical notes

• NTBG is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization (Federal Tax ID: 52-6057064).
• Contact: (808) 332-7324, [email protected].
• Membership is offered, including renewal and gift options, if you expect to visit more than once or want to support the gardens.
• The site does not state tour prices or admission costs on the homepage, so confirm those on the individual garden pages or at the point of booking rather than assuming any garden is free.

You can join NTBG through the membership section of its website, where the organization states you can join, renew, or give the gift of membership. The homepage highlights "Join as an NTBG Member Today!" and links to a membership page with options and renewal information. NTBG does not publish membership prices or benefit details on its homepage, so you'll need to check the membership page for current tiers, costs, and perks before deciding.

What NTBG Is

The National Tropical Botanical Garden is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that works across five botanical gardens and throughout the tropics. Its stated mission is preserving tropical plant diversity and stemming the tide of extinction through plant exploration, scientific research, and a biocultural approach that combines Indigenous knowledge, community priorities, and research.

Membership fees support this conservation and research work, which is the core reason to join if you want to fund tropical plant preservation rather than simply gain garden access.

Steps to Join, Renew, or Gift a Membership

1. Go to ntbg.org.
2. Find the Membership item in the main menu, or use the "Join as an NTBG Member Today!" / "Become a member" link on the homepage.
3. On the membership page, review the available options. NTBG states the page covers new memberships, renewals, and gift memberships.
4. Select the option that fits you (new, renewal, or gift), then complete the signup or payment flow.
5. Confirm you receive a confirmation from NTBG. If you don't, contact the organization directly.

Expected result: an active NTBG membership, or a gift membership delivered to your recipient.

What to Check Before You Join

Because NTBG's homepage does not list prices or specific benefits, verify these on the membership page before paying:

• Cost and tiers — the homepage gives no pricing, so confirm the current amount.
• Benefits — check whether membership includes garden admission, guest passes, publications, or event access.
• Renewal terms — confirm whether it renews automatically and how to cancel.
• Gift membership logistics — if giving as a gift, check how the recipient is notified and when the membership starts.

If You Want to Visit the Gardens Instead

Membership and visiting are separate decisions. NTBG lists five gardens you can visit:

If your main goal is seeing the gardens, compare tour options and admission on the "Visit our Gardens" and "Book a Tour" pages first — membership may or may not be the cheaper route depending on how often you visit.

Other Ways to Support NTBG

If membership isn't right for you, the site lists alternatives: donate, volunteer, or apply for job opportunities. NTBG also offers a newsletter signup and a Breadfruit Institute focused on conservation, study, and use of breadfruit for food and reforestation.

Contact

For questions about membership status, benefits, or payment issues:

• Phone: (808) 332-7324
• Email: [email protected]

NTBG is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization (Federal Tax ID: 52-6057064), so membership and donations may have tax implications — confirm with a tax professional for your situation.