The Mauna Loa silversword is found, naturally, on the slopes of Mauna Loa, but also in locations on the saddle. The remnants of the last wild populations are at Kahuku Ranch (now part of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park), Kapapala Forest Reserve and in the Upper Waiakea Forest Reserve. There were other historical populations scattered around the slopes of Mauna Loa. The last wild populations contained thousands of individuals in the mid 1970's, but they were almost entirely lost to pigs in Upper Waiakea and to sheep and goats on the southern slopes of Mauna Loa in the 1980's.

The Mauna Loa silversword is greener than the Mauna Kea silversword, since it has less protective fuzz on its leaves. It has a more open growth form, and sometimes grows in wet or boggy locations. (Similar to some Maui silverswords and greenswords which grow in wet areas.)