The silversword is a plant that lives in the crater of Haleakala along with some other plants. The hairs on the silversword make the leaves look silverish. These hairs also collect the morning dew. The silversword's Hawaiian nickname is "ahinahina" which means "grey grey".
The silversword can be found in Haleakala National Park.

The silversword lives up to 50 years before growing a flowering stalk in the fall to end it's life. The flowering stalks have a total of 500 flowers on them. The color of the flowers are purplish - red. Some Silverswords grow three flowering stalks.
	The plant in the foreground is dying.

There are three types of silverswords. The silversword found on Haleakala is one. The Mauna Kea silversword is another. The third is the greensword (a relative of the silversword) which is found on Haleakala, too. The silversword can live in harsh areas such as marshes, craters, and mountains.

 

	This plant is endangered, but now, silverswords are protected by law. The silverswords were endangered because people picked and rolled them down hills. Wild goats also ate them.
Closeup view of a silversword plant.

Resources:

Dawrs, Stu. Discover Maui - The Valley Isle. Aiea, Hawaii: Island Heritage Publishing, 1999.

Meyrat, A. Gray. "Silversword." Online. Internet. http://www.botany.Hawaii edu./faculty. Accessed 19 Jan. 2000.