Show hawaiian plant highly prized by botanist Bot antt one of the most interesting plants in the world the haleakala sword once abundant has now become so scarce that botanists cover every specimens clment ciment ot of it that comes into bloom with cheesecloth to protect it from insect enemies that would otherwise destroy its seeds the haleakala Bale akala Silvera Silver word sword grows only on the rim and in the crater of haleakala Hale alala a great dormant volcano in that portion of the lIa hawaiian wallan wa lional park located on the island of maul when young the plant known to Hawa lians as orah from their word gray Is a beautiful silvery sphere of In curved linegar leaves the silver coloring Is caused by the dense covering of hair which repels some of tho the penetrating et rays of 0 the tha sun and also guards the plant from too rapid loss of moisture when it tataina a diameter of about two feet the great silvery ball shoots up a magnificent cluster of flowering heads to a height of from three to six foot feet |