 The plant grows during the moist , winter season from December through July in Nihoa 's coastal dry shrubland habitat in shallow soil on rocky outcrops in exposed areas between 120 – 215 m ( 394 – 705 ft ) . At the time of its discovery in 1923 , botanists first observed the plant growing in great quantity on the ridges towards Miller Peak and on eastern ridges of the island . Expeditions in the early and mid @-@ 1960s failed to identify any specimens , but in 1969 , ethnobotanist Douglas E. Yen of the Bishop Museum collected specimens near Miller Peak . Derral R. Herbst and Wayne Takeuchi of the FWS collected the last known specimen on July 27 , 1980 . Carl C. Christensen also visited Nihoa in 1980 to reevaluate endemic species last observed on the Tanager Expedition . Sheila Conant and Mark S. Collins visited Nihoa in 1980 as well ; Conant returned twice in 1981 , first with Mark J. Rauzon and later with Audrey L. Newman . In 1983 , Conant visited the island with Wayne C. Gagné . Conant found A. brownii growing on the island in 1981 and 1983 , by which time only two populations of 35 plants were thought to exist : 23 plants were found near Miller Peak and 12 plants in Middle Valley . The two plant populations are separated by a distance of approximately 0 @.@ 4 km ( 0 @.@ 25 mi ) . 
