[3] The species is managed by the National Park Service and Hawaiʻi State Department of Forestry and Wildlife.

[6] The silver reflection seen on the leaves is caused by the dense, felty leaf hairs that help to lower the UV absorption of the plant.

The Mauna Loa silversword can reach up to 1.8 meters (5.91 feet) in height and produce multiple flowering branches.

Each rosette, or branch of the plant, can grow for 20 to 30 years and may reach 40–70 cm (15.7–31.5 inches) before flowering and producing dry fruit.

[8] The ancestor of A. kauense came to Hawai’i approximately 5 million years ago, where it underwent an adaptive radiation, leading to the 30 species within the silversword alliance.

The bees are native to Hawaii and are threatened by predatory social insects like invasive argentine ants.

[7] There is a potential symbiotic relationship between Mauna Loa silverswords and sphagnum moss beds that grow near the plants.

More seedlings were found within 2 meters (6.5 feet) of moss beds than outside the range in the Upper Waiākea population.

The presence of the moss beds is important for germination, and seems necessary for the plant to survive in a bog habitat.

[7] The largest threats to this species at the time of its listing were given as its limited gene pool and low reproductive capability.

This means that it depends on other blooming individuals being around it, requiring a dense population for the species to reproduce successfully.

The small populations of the Mauna Loa silversword also make it vulnerable to sudden events that could wipe it out, such as fires or lava flows.

While research has also found the population to be more diverse than originally feared, several new threats face the Mauna Loa Silversword as of 2020.

This was because the USFWS feared that designating habitat would make it easier for people to locate and harm the plant.

The additional rules are that the population has been stable for 20 years, and that the Mauna Loa silversword no longer needs specific protection.

Finally, it set new research goals of identifying areas where new plants could be grown, as well as studying the effect of the loss of native pollinators.