Argyroxiphium kauense(Rock & Neal ) O.Deg . & I.Deg .
Ka’u Silversword , Mauna Loa Silversword
Argyroxiphium sandwicensesubsp.kauense , genus Argyroxiphium sandwicensevar.kauense , Dubautia kauensis
Photo via hiveminer.com
Family : AsteraceaeSubfamily : AsteroideaeTribe : MadieaeGenus : Argyroxiphium
This species is endemic to the eastern and southern slopes of Mauna Loa on the island ofHawaii . It occurs in montane shrubland , bog , and open mesic forest .
genus Argyroxiphium kauenseis an erect stem canker shrub with dagger - work leaves covered with fine light silvern hairs . It grows up to 4.25 foot ( 1.3 m ) tall and up to 32 inches ( 80 cm ) in diam , usually individual - stemmed or occasionally with few branches . leave are triangular in crossbreed segment , up to 16 inches ( 40 cm ) foresightful and 0.3 inches ( 0.7 centimeter ) widely .
In summer , a flowering shuck emerge from the shopping centre of the rosette and grows to 6.6 feet ( 2 m ) marvellous , bearing 100 and 300 flower heads , each with 50 to 200 small , dumbly constellate prime . The bloom are sick chicken , yellow with a rosaceous tinge , rose , or sometimes wine-coloured - red . Fruits are dry , black , single - seeded , up to 0.4 inches ( 1 atomic number 96 ) long achene . This plant is monocarpic , which means it bloom only once in its life , then fix fruit and dies .
The specific name " kauense(kau - EN - see ) " refers to theKa’u districtof Hawaii County , Hawaii , where a type specimen originated .
USDA hardiness zone10a to 10b : from 30 ° F ( −1.1 ° C ) to 40 ° F ( +4.4 ° C ) .
The Silversword alliance is a chemical group of about 50 species of plants belonging to three genera endemic to the Hawaiian island . They get their common name from the visually impressive Silversword .
Argyroxiphium kauenseis endemic to the eastern and southern slopes of Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaiʻi . It occurs in a much broader range of habitats than the closely related to and well - have a go at it Haleakalā silversword ( Argyroxiphium sandwicensesubsp.macrocephalum ) . It is find in montane shrubland , bog , and unresolved mesic woodland .
Although menace by damage from ferine pigs , goats , and mouflon sheep , most of the area where it currently exists are now protected , and the specie is actively managed by the National Park Service and Hawai’i State Department of Forestry and Wildlife . It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States . There are three cognise occurrence remaining , for a sum of fewer than 1000 individuals .
press a photo to see a larger interlingual rendition .
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