Charges eyed over taking of rare Hawaii plants

HALEAKALA NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii — U.S. prosecutors are considering charges against two people seen taking rare, federally protected silversword plants found only on a mountain in Hawaii, authorities said.

A visitor to Haleakala National Park reported seeing a woman taking two Haleakala silversword plants (ahinahina in Hawaiian) from the ground Monday and leaving in a vehicle, the National Park Service said in a news release.

The plants are found only on the slopes of Maui’s Haleakala at altitudes above 6,900 feet (2,100 meters). The plant is listed as threatened, and removing or damaging it is a federal crime.

The witness took a photo of the car and alerted park law enforcement officers. The woman and driver were apprehended with the plants in Paia, a town about 24 miles (38.62 kilometers) from the park.

They were released pending further investigation, park Chief Ranger Ari Wong said.

“These plants are already so rare, picking them is illegal for a very good reason,” he said. “Our most important job here in the park is to protect species like this.”

Biologists will try to replant the recovered silverswords.

Wong said there are about 40,000 of the plants on the mountain.

With its fleshy leaves, the silversword can live from three to more than 90 years. It flowers once, sending up a long stalk, and then dies.