Population Size and Frequency of Branching in the Eke Silversword, Argyrox iphium caliginis (Asteraceae), on Eke Crater, West Maui, Hawaii.

Abstract

The Eke silversword, Argyroxiphium caliginis, is a rosette plant endemic to the summit bogs of Eke Crater and Puu Kukui, West Maui, Hawaii. On 2 November 1985, a belt transect across Eke Crater was used to estimate the population of silverswords on the summit bog. Total population of the Eke silversword on Eke Crater was estimated to be about 76,000 plants. Although the plant has been described as a branching shrub that reproduces vegetatively, the majority of the individuals in the sampled population of the Eke silversword on Eke Crater were unbranched, monocarpic plants that appeared to reproduce by seed.