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Specy

Silversword

Flowering Plants

The silversword is a striking flowering plant found only on the high volcanic slopes of Haleakala and Mauna Kea in Hawaii, where it grows as a rosette of narrow, silver-haired leaves adapted to intense sunlight and cold, dry conditions. A single plant may live for decades before flowering just once, sending up a tall stalk covered in hundreds of small reddish-purple flowers, after which the plant dies. Its extremely limited range and slow life cycle have made habitat protection central to its survival.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Photosynthetic Autotroph 2
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 3
Living or Extinct
Yes 2
Derived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status.
Comparison
NatureServe Rank
G2 Imperiled 4
CITES Appendix
Not Listed 5
Scientific Name
Argyroxiphium sandwicense 2
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
The Haleakala silversword has numerous sword-like succulent leaves covered with silver hairs. 1
Disputed
Conservation Status
Endangered 2
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Asteraceae, Taxa
Source Wikidata: Silversword

In Biome

Alpine, Biomes
Source NatureServe Explorer: Argyroxiphium sandwicense
Chaparral, Biomes
Source NatureServe Explorer: Argyroxiphium sandwicense
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Australia

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Haleakala Silversword (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia article (Haleakala silversword subspecies), Description section, first sentence
Quote, Wikipedia article (Haleakala silversword subspecies), Description section, first sentence
has numerous sword-like succulent leaves covered with silver hairs
View the Source
2. Silversword (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Wikipedia article, opening sentence
    Argyroxiphium sandwicense, the Hawaiʻi silversword, or hinahina is a species of silversword
  • Wikipedia infobox, Conservation status field, IUCN Red List category, species-level assessment
    Endangered
  • lead sentence (diet), EntityId 344583
    Argyroxiphium sandwicense, the Hawaiʻi silversword, or hinahina is a species of silversword.
View the Source
3. GBIF Species API
GBIF Species APIView the Source
4. NatureServe Explorer: Argyroxiphium sandwicense
NatureServe Explorer
  • Global rank (roundedGRank)
    "roundedGRank": "G2"
  • In Biome: Chaparral, Species characteristics: Shrubland/chaparral
    "terrestrialHabitatDescEn": "Shrubland/chaparral"
  • In Biome: Alpine, Species characteristics: Alpine
    "terrestrialHabitatDescEn": "Alpine"
View the Source
5. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Asterales
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12418
Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12418
"cites_listing":"I/III/NC","eu_listing":"A/C/D/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Plantae","phylum":null,"class":null,"order":"Asterales","family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[],"cites_listings":[]
View the Source
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Asteraceae
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12520
Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12520
"active":true,"cites_listing":"NC"
View the Source
Wikidata: Silversword
Child Taxon Of: Asteraceae, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
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