Silverswords

[Fishboy]

I found a Park Service publication at work today and read about the Mauna Loa Silversword. The article spoke of other silversword species, Ka'u and Halelakala, and the efforts to recover these species. The article said there've been several tens of thousands of these transplanted in Volcano National Park where the planting success is better than 70%. Really remarkable transplant success, and I wondered if any of these protected species are ever offered to the public for planting.

Anyone ever heard of that?

Brian

[Les C]

I think the silversword usually grows a fairly high elevation, not where many people typically live. But it may be that if there once were lower elevation ones, they've been overwhelmed.

Occasionally, Home Depot's native plant selection includes the endangered Alula (aka Olulu, Pua'ala), Brighamia insignis, one of the really neat lobelias. I don't know if they will be carrying rarities like that very often, unless people are actually buying them. Because it's an endangered species, they were permitted by the State to sell it. I don't know if any of the other nurserys that carry native plants will have something as endangered as the silversword to sell.

Edited by - Les C on 06/29/2007 19:31:11

[Mitzi M]

Hey there Fishboy,

I, also, have never heard of any of the silverswords being offered to the public, and that may be due to their extreme scarcity and the fact that their habitats are so specific. Except for the bog-dwelling Ka'u silversword, they like exposed, dry, high elevation places where people would never prefer to live. They are adapted to such a specific niche, and have never dispersed very far from it. I think silverswords would be poor candidates for cultivation in anything but their choice environments. But FYI, some plants on the endangered species list CAN be purchased for use in the home garden IF they have orange tags which prove that they came from a nursery certified to grow them. The deal is you have to always keep the tag with the plant, even when it is planted in the ground, to prove that it had a legitimate origin and that you didn't just dig up the plant from somewhere, which is punishable by a hefty fine and/or prison time etc.,etc. Some endangered plants have proven easy enough to care for in the right environments that they have a good chance of suceeding in home landscapes. I think its a great idea to grow them (legally) if you can provide the right spot and have a basic knowledge of their cultural requirements. In fact, one of Hawai'i's native hibiscus was saved from the brink of extinction because someone grew a hedge of the plant in their backyard(!) Check out this link for the native plants offered by Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden.

http://www.bishopmuseum.org/exhibits/gre...sales.html

Aloha,
Mitzi

Uluhe Design
Restoration Based Landscape Design for Hawai'i
uluhedesign@yahoo.com

Edited by - mitzi m on 06/30/2007 10:45:04

[Fishboy]

Thanks to all of you for your thoughtful responses. I work with ESA species impacts and am familiar with the restrictions on handling these protected plants. Not to get too technical, but there may be a requirement that an ESA section 10(a)1(A) permit be extended to the public before that could happen, but what Mitzi says about keeping a tag on the plant makes perfect sense. In my mind, whatever it takes to keep these species from extinction is worth a try (well, within reason anyway).

Mahalo nui,
Brian

[Kapohocat]

Mitzi (or anyone) -

When you go out Waimea way - is that silversword growing on the left as you start to head downhill to Kawaihae? Past Merriman's etc and after the small bridge bridge.

Catherine Dumond
Blue Water Project Management
808 217-7578
http://bluewaterpm.125mb.com/index.html
"We help make building your dream home a reality"

[Mitzi M]

Cat, I think what you may be seeing there is mullein, an introduced plant with fuzzy gray-green leaves and a tall flower stalk with a few small yellow flowers open at a time. The stalk usually dries on the plant and stays there for some time.

www.mnwelldir.org/images/recent/mullein.jpg

Someone else told me there were silverswords all along the saddle road - I think this may be what they saw too.

Mitzi