蘭嶼為臺灣、琉球列島及菲律賓植物區系的匯合地點，也是過去南北植物遷移的踏蹬，因此植物種類繁多。在此一優越的條件下，雅美族人使用樹材的方式趨於多元，植物與人類的關係更為緊密。而且經過長期地理區隔發展之下，雅美族人運用植物的生活經驗，塑形出其獨特的植物文明。 本文係以蘭嶼島上的雅美族人為對象，以野外田野調查、訪問紀錄及文獻探討之方式，瞭解島上自然生長的植物於生活、器物之運用情形。調查結果共紀錄植物兩百餘種，分成食物、衣飾、住屋、漁具、祈福驅靈、醫藥、柴薪、飼料、用具等九類加以討論。紀錄結果發現，林投、五節芒的自然分布最為普遍，應用也最為廣泛；栽植作物以水芋、地瓜為主，民生用才則以臺東龍眼居首位，麵包樹、蘭嶼赤楠、臺灣膠木次之，使用範圍也相對有限；材質優良的毛柿、象牙樹植群數量較少，因此相對取財的機率亦較低。專用性植物在缺乏工業產物及現代醫療未引入之前，扮演著相當重要的功能，如建造漁舟之木釘、填縫材、舵；禳災驅靈用之蘭嶼山馬茶、蘭嶼咬人狗或供藥用之蘭嶼牛皮凍、鱧腸等等的素材選擇，完全倚賴植物的特性與居民生活經驗的互動。然而這些經驗累積的智慧，在所謂「科學昌明」下，已漸被工業製品所取代，同時也將在開發的腳步中走入歷史角落。

Botel Tabago stands in the unique place where the floral zones of Taiwan, the Ryukyu Archielagos, and the philippines converge. Due to the fact that the island used to be the gateway for the austral plants to migrate northward and the other way round, the number of the species of plants here are great. Interestingly, this unusual geographical location makes it possible for the native Yami to make multifarious use of the vegetation in the island and that experience, in addition to the geographical isolation, has engendered a plant civilization unique to the Yami people. This ethnobotany research through field study, unterviews, and literature search--how the ethnic plants interactive with the live of the Yami. Above two hundred species of plants discussed in this paper are divided into 9 categories in terms of their relations to food, clothing, housing, fishing gears, rituals, medicines, firewoods, feeds, appliances, etc. This study shows that Pometia pinnata, Pandanus odoratissimus and Miscanthus floridulus which are among the most uses of less popular species such as Artocarpus altilis, Syzygium lanyuense and Palaquium formosanum are some limited. Other species, like Diospyros discolor and Diospyros ferrea, despite of their superior qualities, are rare and therefore used for practical purposes. Before industrial products are introduced into the island, some species of plants originally known for their usefulness in making wooden nails, fillings, dyestuffs, helms, ancestor woods, mortars, have played important roles in facilitating the daily live of the Yami. However, these special plants, with the coming products andinevitably fall into oblivion in history.