 According to zoologist and conservationist Sheila Conant , A. brownii is important due to its uniqueness in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as " the only Hawaiian endemic in this large genus which contains many economically and nutritionally important species . " However , in more than a decade of field surveys on Nihoa , no living plants have been identified . Wildlife refuge staff have visited the island during the dry season at least 21 times between 1983 and 1996 . The absence of the plant in recent field surveys might be explained by the time of visit . Because winter surveys of Nihoa tend to be difficult and dangerous due to poor landing conditions , surveys have not been conducted during the moist , winter growing season from December through March when the plant is easiest to find . Most of the surveys have been completed during the summer months , when it is easiest to visit Nihoa , but during this time , the stems of A. brownii dry up and cannot be distinguished from other herbaceous plants . A seven @-@ day visit to the island in April 2006 still did not find any specimens but botanists are optimistic that the species has survived . Additional winter surveys are required to accurately assess the conservation status of the plant . 
