Silverswords dug up, driven away from Haleakala summit recovered | News, Sports, Jobs

The Haleakala silversword, or ahinahina, is a federally threatened species and removal of the plant from the national park is a federal offense. A woman who was observed digging up two juvenile plants from the summit Monday was later apprehended and the plants recovered, Haleakala National Park officials said. Haleakala National Park photo

A woman who was observed removing two juvenile silverword plants from the summit area of Haleakala and putting them in her clothing Monday afternoon was apprehended by National Park Service Law Enforcement officers and Maui police later in Paia, Haleakala National Park officials said.

The two plants were recovered and park biologists will attempt to replant the recovered silverswords, said park spokesman Charles Lassiter on Tuesday.

The Haleakala silversword, or ahinahina (argyroxiphium sandwicense subspecies macrocephalum), is federally listed as threatened and is found only on the slopes of Haleakala at altitudes above 6,900 feet.

At about 4:30 p.m., a park visitor witnessed a woman removing two keiki silversword plants from the ground and placing them in her clothing before leaving the area in a vehicle, said Lassiter.

The witness took a picture of the vehicle and notified Haleakala National Park staff, who alerted park law enforcement. Park rangers were able to locate the woman in Paia about an hour later with the plants, he said.

Rangers identified the alleged poacher and driver of the vehicle and released both individuals at the scene, Lassiter said. At this time, charges are pending against both people.

“We were lucky to have the assistance of a dedicated visitor,” said Park Chief Ranger Ari Wong. “These plants are already so rare, picking them is illegal for a very good reason. Our most important job here in the park is to protect species like this.”

Visitors are encouraged to take pictures of these rare plants but are reminded that removing or damaging them is a federal crime.

The park website notes that the delicate silverswords were once ripped up and taken home by visitors as souvenirs. Today, the shiny silver plants depend on management efforts for survival. Park staff fence out silversword-munching ungulates, destroy non-native plants that would crowd out silverswords and educate park visitors to stay on trails to avoid stepping on fragile seedlings and root systems.

The silvery hairs, fleshy leaves and low-growing rosette allow the unique plant to survive in hot, dry climates like the desert cinder cone slopes of the Haleakala Crater, the park website said. Silverswords live between 3 and 90 years or more. They flower once, sending up an eye-catching flowering stalk, and then die soon afterward, scattering drying seeds to the wind.

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

The Maui News Maui County Department of Finance Director Scott Teruya was placed on administrative leave on last ...

Holy Innocents Episcopal Church, formerly on Front Street in Lahaina Town and destroyed by the fire, announced the ...

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rq3UoqWer6NjsLC5jqecsKtfobykrctmpZ6vo2R%2FcX2XaGdvZ6Oeubex0ayuqKqUqHqlwcZmrKlllKe2t7HNZpiwmalis7O7zGafmqSVlriiuMBmqq6lnZ7Bbr7EnKavnaKasXA%3D