In the Garden
HUI KU MOALI OLA
Iliau is closely related to the silverswords of Maui and the Big Island and is therefore a member of the "silversword alliance." There are three genera (Argyroxiphium, Dubautia and Wilkesia) comprising some 28 species that were derived from a single common ancestor. This is an example of an evolutionary process called adaptive radiation, in which a single pioneer species rapidly evolves into many different species that occupy different types of habitats. Iliau
(Kauai Greensword)
Latin name: Wilkesia gymnoxiphium
Description: Erect, normally unbranched rosette shrubs 3 to 10 feet tall with green leaves and slightly fragrant, cream-colored flowers arranged in heads of 40 to 350 on a stalk that protrudes above the plant. Toward the evening, this plant (not the flowers) is known to give off a slight, pleasant scent, closely resembling that of a ginger flower.
Distribution: This rare plant is endemic to the dry-mesic forests of the Waimea Canyon on the island of Kauai.
Landscape uses and care: Does best in full sun and dry soil. It requires watering only two to three times weekly. Few bugs, if any, are known to bother this plant.
Rick Barboza co-owns Hui Ku Maoli Ola, a native Hawaiian plant nursery, with Matt Schirman. "In the Garden" runs Fridays.
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In the Garden runs Fridays in Today.
