silversword

Commonly named for the long, narrow leaves and the silvery hairs on some species, silverswords are perennials, endemic to Hawaii, occurring only on the islands of Maui and Hawaiʻi in an extremely localized distribution. They prefer higher elevations – they are found primarily above 4,900 feet. Scientists know the plant as argyroxiphium, a small genus of five species in the sunflower family, Asteraceae.