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Mauna Kea silversword

Argyroxiphium sandwicense subsp. sandwicense

Also called Hawai'i silversword, `ahinahina

Mauna Kea silversword
Photo: Karl Magnacca (KarlM at en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0

A rare, highly endangered silver-leaved rosette plant from the high slopes of Mauna Kea on Hawaiʻi Island, grown mainly by conservation programs rather than gardeners. It is monocarpic, flowering once after many years and then dying, and it needs cold, high-altitude, dry conditions with strong sun.

Family
Asteraceae (Daisy family)
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly; the leaves store water as a gel, so overwatering rots the rosette.
Soil
Very well-drained, gritty volcanic or mineral mix.
Temperature
Cool to mild, tolerates frost; avoid heat above about 30 °C; protect from prolonged humid heat.
How easy
Hard

About

Argyroxiphium sandwicense subsp. sandwicense, the Mauna Kea silversword, is a highly endangered flowering plant endemic to the island of Hawaiʻi (Big Island) of Hawaii. It is the "crown jewel" of the volcanic mountain Mauna Kea, from which it derives its English name. The Hawaiian name is ʻahinahina; it applies to silverswords more broadly. The Mauna Kea silversword was once common on the volcano, and extraordinary conservation efforts are being made to preserve the species.

Other Argyroxiphium plants

Hawai'i silversword · Silversword

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Mauna Kea silversword by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

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