Hawaiian silversword  (Argyroxiphium sandwicense)

These attractive plants were previously collected as curiosities; climbers on the mountains would dig them up as proof that they had reached the summit (5). Populations were further depleted by browsing and trampling by goats and cattle in the area (4). Today A. s. sandwicense is restricted to a single population of as few as 30 plants in the Wailuku River basin on Mauna Kea in Hawaii (2). These plants are at risk from the small size and range of their population, which is vulnerable to any chance event that might occur.

The Hawaiian silversword is protected in Hawaii; A. s. sandwicense is listed as Endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service whilst A. s. macrocephalum is listed as Threatened (6). On the island of Maui, the silversword is found within the Haleakala National Park, which was designated as an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980 (7). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has produced Action Plans for the conservation of each subspecies (6), and the Haleakeala silversword has shown encouraging signs of recovery since it was first protected in the 1930s (5). This species is one of the many rare plants and animals found within the lunar landscape of the Haleakeala crater and can act as an important flagship species for conservation in the area (6).