Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 12, 1 December 2021 — 'Āhinahina [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]
'Āhinahina
(silversword, argyroxiphium sandwicense) By Bobby Camara
'Ōheuheu ka lau o ka 'āhinahina, ua pulu i ke kēhau; The fuzzy leaves of the silversword, moistened by the mist. To encounter 'āhinahina on stark cindered mountain heights of Maunakea or Haleakalā is to be dazzled. Leaves are covered with fine hairs as protection from harsh unfiltered ultraviolet rays and sunlight, and when dew collects on them, fine droplets glitter. They grow slowly, hloom onee with many flowers on spectacularly tall stalks, then die. Sheep and goats have destroyed too many 'āhinahina, so conservation efforts such as hunting, fencing, propagation and outplanting, are critical for survival of these precious endangered plants. ■
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