Argyroxiphium sandwicense -- 'ahinahina, or silversword
'Ahinahina, like these in bloom in the crater of Haleakala, on Maui, is one of the best known of Hawaiian endemics. The studies on the striking plant and its relatives have contributed understanding about long distance dispersal of plants to islands. The photos and information here are by Dr. Gerald Carr, Univeristy of Hawaii botanist. A further discussion of the silversword, and links to Dr. Carr's silversword website, can be found in Learning Objective 26.
According to Dr. Carr, 'ahiniahina can live for 50 years in the compact whorl seen on the left, below, and then bloom, like those shown above, within a few weeks. Flowering only once lifetime is called monocarpy. The photo on the right, below, shows the beginning of this process.
While the silverswords most often photographed are those found on Haleakala, this subspecies is not the only one found in the islands.
Go back to Learning Objective 3
