Dracaena aurea

Dracaena aurea, the golden hala pepe, is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to the island of Kauaʻi in Hawaii. It inhabits coastal mesic and mixed mesic forests at elevations of 120–1,070 m (390–3,510 ft).^[3] It is a small evergreen tree, usually 4.6–7.6 m (15–25 ft) tall, but sometimes reaches 12 m (39 ft). The gray, straight trunk does not have bark and is 0.3–0.9 m (0.98–2.95 ft) in diameter. The sword-shaped leaves are 20–51 cm (7.9–20.1 in) long and 1–3 cm (0.39–1.18 in) wide.^[4]

Dracaena aurea
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Asparagaceae
Genus:	Dracaena
Species:	D. aurea
Binomial name
Dracaena aurea H.Mann[2]
Synonyms[2]
Draco aurea (H.Mann) Kuntze Pleomele aurea (H.Mann) N.E.Br. Chrysodracon aurea (H.Mann) P.L.Lu & Morden

It was first described by Horace Mann Jr. as Dracaena aurea in 1867. In 1914, N. E. Brown moved it to the genus Pleomele.^[5][6] The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families rejects the move.^[2]