Up c cene O e Science Service Service S Study to Solve Hawaii's Ha Botanical Puzzle u J Rare Beautiful Plant Interests Scientists WASHINGTON Silver- Silver swords among the rarest and most beautiful ul of Hawaiian Hawaiian Hawaiian Hawai Hawai- ian plants constitute one of the worlds world's prize puzzles in botany Scientists of the Bernice Bernice Bernice Ber- Ber nice Bishop Museum in Honolulu Honolulu Honolulu Hon Hon- and of the Carnegie Institution Institution Institution In In- of Washington under under under un un- un- un der the leadership of Dr David D. D Keck have lately been making a new effort to get more definite facts about this spectacular plants plant's kinships kinships kinships kin kin- ships and origin for it is believed believed believed be be- that through such data new light may be shed on the still greater scientific riddle of Hawaii's unique forms of plant life The forms a like ball-like luster cluster of ot narrow sword sword-sh sword shaped ped leaves white with a silvery coating of f hairs From this basal rosette there shoots up a three to six-foot six flower ower stalk thickly beset with blooms The plant is a member of the llie huge botanical family known as the which includes such mch familiar things as sunflowers dandelions artichokes t thistles h his I s t tIe 1 e s goldenrod and lettuce Not of American merican Ancestry It has hitherto been considered more nearly related to the ds round found on the Pacific coasts of both Americas ri as but Dr Kecks Keck's researches re- re searches now indicate that it is not ind md that the is more related to the tree-like tree composites com corn of Haw Hawaii ii a very remarkable remark- remark ible able group of or plants whose nearest are found far southwestwards southwest- southwest wards across the Pa Pacific in Polynesia Poly nesia and the New Australia-New Zealand Zealand Zea Zea- land region The elimina elimination tion of an American merican ancestry of the silver- silver words J and and their assignment to o an origin in a diametrically op op- osite direction is considered an important step in plant geography