NICE images!!! You contacted me back in February about helping you to identify some of the plants in your gallery. Sorry I took so long to get back to you.
I am still in the process of learning to ID plants, so I use several excellent print guides and a lot of different websites. I will try to remember to send you the names of my best print botanical guides and the URLs of a few of the more reliable websites relating to Hawaiian botany.
I have found that the best way to learn plant identification is to look at as many images of expertly identified plants and other botanicals as I can. That way if I spot a familiar-looking genus or species I know at what point in the taxonomical tree to start the ID process. Just start looking at every plant or tree, paying attention to leaf and branch shapes and patterns, growth habit, typical habitat, fruit color/shape, and flower shape/color. These are the basic criteria that field botanists use to identify a plant down to the species level.
I'll get back to you soon with that info I promised you.
