1848 Eng. & Foreign Mining Gloss. 5/4 Hilo, a small vein or thread of ore in a lode. hilo de la veta, line or direction of the vein. hilos altos, threads or small veins of ore falling into or proceeding from the upper or hanging wall of a lode. hilos baxos, threads or small veins of ore proceeding from or falling into the lower wall of a lode.

1908 E. Halse Dict. Spanish Mining Terms 188 Hilo (thread), (1) h. de la veta or h. del criadero, direction of the vein or deposit..(2) small vein or thread of ore in a lode, e.g., hilos altos, threads falling into or proceeding from the hanging wall..; in the Cauca, the name is applied to small veins of gold-bearing quartz.

1908 E. Halse Dict. Spanish Mining Terms 186 Hebra, (1) a thread or yarn of a hempen or other rope..; several twisted together form the hilo.

1888 W. Hillebrand Flora Hawaiian Islands 493 The well known Hilo grass, which first appeared about 1840 in the district of Hilo and soon spread there,..is a native of tropical America..but is found now also in tropical Africa, the Galapagos Islands, Australia, and India.

1915 W. A. Bryan Nat. Hist. Hawaii 208 The well known and generally despised Hilo grass, occurs in moist, heavy soils in the lower zone.

1917 Nature 20 Sept. 57/2 In the moister portions of the islands large areas have been occupied by Hilo grass.

1929 W. T. Pope Man. Wayside Plants Hawaii 27 Vigorous cultivation of fields keeps Hilo grass in control.