Once in their lifetime, silverswords erupt in flowers

After 10 to 30 years, the Mauna Loa silversword ('āhinahina) sends up a spectacular stalk of fragrant flowers as tall as 9 feet (over 3 meters), then it dies, and each seed it drops has the potential to begin a new generation. Although they share the same ancestors, Mauna Loa silverswords are a separate and distinct species from those found on Mauna Kea or Haleakalā, generally with fewer flower petals and slightly thinner leaves that are not quite as hairy as their kin. Foraging ungulates such as cattle, sheep, and goats feed heavily on the silverswords, and by the early 1990s the entire species was limited to a handful of plants clinging to survival at just a few remote sites. Park crews used hard labor, science, and volunteer help to save the silverswords from extinction by erecting miles of fence and smaller exclosures to keep out ungulates, then transplanting more than 10,000 seedlings into the fenced exclosures. In the spring of 2013, botanists discovered dozens of new seedlings had sprouted in the exclosures, and these wild seedlings are slowly returning to Mauna Loa inside their fences.

Volcano, Hawaii · United States