Trees and Plants
There are over 850 species of plants within Haleakala National Park.
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Trees and Plants Details
There are over 850 species of plants within Haleakala National Park. Of these, over 400 species are native and over 300 species are endemic, meaning that they're found nowhere else on Earth. Plants have evolved to fill every ecological niche within Haleakala, from humid, salty coastlines to arid volcanic peaks. Some of the park's most recognizable plants include silverswords, bird-pollinated geraniums, and mint-less mints. Plants likely first arrived to Haleakala as windborne seedlings, attached to birds, as part of a bird's droppings, or drifting in seawater. Most of these plants, with little competition in their new environment, lost protective attributes such as thorns, thick bark, poisons, unpalatable tastes, or strongly scented oils, which has made them susceptible to terrible destruction via introduced animals such as pigs, cattle, rats, and sheep. One of the most recognizable of Halekala's plants is the silversword, whose silvery hairs, fleshy leaves, and low-growing form allow it to survive in hot, dry climates like the desert cinder slopes of the crater. These plants can live up to 90 years, flowering only once and sending up a spectacular flowering stalk. They die soon afterward, scattering drying seeds into the wind. These delicate plants were once ripped up by visitors and taken home as souvenirs, and now depend on management efforts for survival. Fences keep silversword-munching animals out, and park workers destroy non-native, competitive plants, as well as educating park visitors to stay on trails and avoid stepping on fragile silversword seedlings and root systems.
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