Dasylirion

Last updated

Dasylirion
Sotol (Dasylirion parryanum) ornamental.jpg
Dasylirion parryanum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Nolinoideae
Genus: Dasylirion
Zucc. [1]
Type species
D. graminifolium

Dasylirion is a genus of succulent, rosette-forming plants in the Asparagaceae family (where it is included in the Nolinoideae subfamily). Most species are native to mountainous arid regions of Mexico, with some species also native to the Southwestern United States. [3] [4] The common name sotol is used in English and Spanish to describe various Dasylirion species, as well as giving its name to a distilled spirit called sotol made from some species of the genus. [4] [5]

Contents

The genus name Dasylirion is a compound word coming from the Greek δασύς (dasy), meaning dense, thick or shaggy and λείριον (lirion), meaning lily. [4] [5]

As of November 2024, the genus Dasylirion includes 23 accepted species. [3] [6]

Description

Dasylirion are perennial and often long lived plants. With age, most form erect or reclining trunks that vary in height, depending on the species. The leaves blades are long-linear, evergreen and numerous, and are arranged into rosettes, living for several years and remaining persistent even after dying leading to the formation of a skirt around the plant. Some species have sharp and/or curved prickles along the leaf margins. [4]

Similar to Agave , a genus in the same family and found in the same regions as Dasylirion, the inflorescences consist of a tall stem or "mast" (" quiote " in Mexico), which can grow several times the height of the plant, that grows apically from the center of the rosette. The flowers themselves are small and arranged in panicles at the end of the long, woody stem. Unlike most species of Agave that are monocarpic, Dasylirion are polycarpic plants, meaning they do not die after flowering and may go on to flower many more times. [4]

Dasylirion are dioecious, with the male and female flowers on separate plants. [4] [7]

Native distribution

All 23 accepted species of Dasylirion are native to Mexico, [3] [6] [8] with the genus covering much of the country from the border with the Southwestern United States to the border of Oaxaca in the south. Across Mexico, Dasylirion species are native to 20 states, with the greatest numbers found in San Luis Potosí, followed by Chihuahua, Coahuila and Zacatecas. The typical habitat for most species are areas of transition between xerophilous shrublands and coniferous and Quercus (or oak) forests, such as the Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests. The greatest diversity in the genus is concentrated in the Sierra Madre Oriental where two regions of species richness are found (in common with both being centers of endemism), the first in the Gran Sierra Plegada, and the second in the arid zone between the states of Querétaro and Hidalgo. [8]

Three species also considered native to the Southwestern United States: Dasylirion wheeleri , commonly known as desert spoon in the USA, is native to Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, as well as Chihuahua and Sonora in Mexico; [9] Dasylirion texanum , native to Texas as well as Coahuila, Mexico; [10] and Dasylirion leiophyllum, native to New Mexico, Texas, as well as Chihuahua, and Coahuila in Mexico. [11]

Human use

Dasylirion was once a major food source in the drier regions of the Southwest USA and Mexico. [4] Native Americans would bake or roast the crown of the plant in rock-lined pits before drying and pounding to form a flour that was then made into cakes. [12] [13] The flowering stems can also be roasted, boiled or eaten raw. [12]

The leaves were and are sometimes still used in thatching, basket making, and weaving into hats or mats. [4] [13]

Sotol

Sotol is a distilled spirit produced from various species of Dasylirion. The most common species used to produce sotol are Dasylirion wheeleri , Dasylirion durangense, Dasylirion cedrosanum , and Dasylirion leiophyllum, and less commonly with Dasylirion texanum and Dasylirion lucidum .

Sotol has long been the most popular distilled spirit in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango, but sotol was technically illegal in Mexico until 1994. After legalization and it was granted a denomination of origin (DO) in 2002. [14] According to the DO authorized by the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property, Sotol can only be produced in Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango.

The indigenous peoples of the Chihuahuan desert, such as the Jumano Pueblos and the Lipan Apache have made this traditional drink for centuries. [4] [12] [13] Other indigenous peoples of Chihuahua, such as the Rarámuri, fermented sotol juice into a beer-like alcoholic beverage as early as 800 years ago. [15] After baking, the crown of the plant is peeled, crushed and mixed with water before being fermented. [13]

Distillation technology was introduced in the 16th century by early Filipino immigrants who arrived via the Manila galleons to the coastal regions of western Mexico. Distinctive Filipino-type stills were initially used by Filipino coconut farmers in distilling tubâ into "vino de coco" (coconut sap liquor). This technology and the knowledge of liquor production were acquired by the indigenous peoples who worked in the coconut plantations. They were then used to distil native drinks, resulting in sotol and the similarly produced mezcal. [16]

Species

As of November 2024, the genus Dasylirion includes 23 accepted species. [3] [6] [17] [18] [19] [20]

ImageScientific nameDistribution
Dasylirion acrotrichum.jpg Dasylirion acrotrichum (Schiede) Zucc. Hidalgo, Puebla, Jalisco
61. Dasylirion berlandieri Garabato MEXGKB.jpg Dasylirion berlandieriS. Wats. Nuevo León, Tamaulipas
11. Dasylirion cedrosanum fh 0631.14 Parras MEX.jpg Dasylirion cedrosanumTrel. Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas
Dasylirion durangense 1.jpg Dasylirion durangense Trel.Durango, Chihuahua, Zacatecas, Coahuila
Yucca declinata fh 0403 MEX B.jpg Dasylirion gentryiBogler Sonora, Chihuahua
71. Dasylirion glaucophyllum MEX GK B.jpg Dasylirion glaucophyllum Hook.Hidalgo
Dasylirion graminifolium in Kultur in Italien.tif Dasylirion graminifolium (Zucc.) Zucc. Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Zacatecas
Dasylirion leiophyllum 1.jpg Dasylirion leiophyllum Engelm. ex Trel. (syn. D. heteracanthumI.M.Johnst.)Chihuahua, Coahuila; Texas, New Mexico
Dasylirion longissimum 1.jpg Dasylirion longissimum Lem. San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo
Longistylum.jpg Dasylirion longistylumJ.F.Macbr.San Luis Potosí
Dasylirion lucidum MEX Azumbilla GK.jpg Dasylirion lucidum Rose Oaxaca, Puebla
Dasylirion miquihuanense.jpg Dasylirion miquihuanenseBoglerNuevo León, Tamaulipas
33. Dasylirion occidentailis MEX GK A.jpg Dasylirion occidentalisBogler ex HochstätterAguascalientes
Dasylirion palaciosii Rzed.San Luis Potosí
Dasylirion acrotriche var. parryanum LaVilla,Guanajato2 d acrotriche var. parryanum.jpg Dasylirion parryanum Trel.San Luis Potosí
Dasylrion quadrangulatum fh 0606.2 Jaumave IMG 2315 - Kopie.jpg Dasylirion quadrangulatum S.WatsonNuevo León, Tamaulipas
Dasylirion sereke BoglerChihuahua
44. Dasylirion serratifolium Mitla MEX GK.jpg Dasylirion serratifolium (Karw. ex Schult. & Schult.f.) Zucc. Oaxaca
Dasylirion simplexTrel.Durango
Dasylirion texanum004.JPG Dasylirion texanum ScheeleCoahuila & Texas
Dasylirion treleasei (Bogler) HochstätterHidalgo, San Luis Potosí
Sotol (16348097794).gif Dasylirion wheeleri S.Watson ex Rothr.Arizona, New Mexico, Texas; Chihuahua, Sonora

Formerly placed here

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chihuahuan Desert</span> Largest desert in North America

The Chihuahuan Desert is a desert ecoregion designation covering parts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It occupies much of far West Texas, the middle to lower Rio Grande Valley and the lower Pecos Valley in New Mexico, and a portion of southeastern Arizona, as well as the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau. It is bordered on the west by the Sonoran Desert, the Colorado Plateau, and the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, along with northwestern lowlands of the Sierra Madre Oriental range. Its largest, continual expanse is located in Mexico, covering a large portion of the state of Chihuahua, along with portions of Coahuila, north-eastern Durango, the extreme northern part of Zacatecas, and small western portions of Nuevo León. With an area of about 501,896 km2 (193,783 sq mi), it is the largest hot desert in North America. The desert is fairly young, existing for only 8000 years.

<i>Nolina</i> Genus of flowering plants

Nolina is a genus of tropical xerophytic flowering plants belonging to the Asparagaceae plant family. The native distribution of the genus includes most of Mexico and the southern regions of the United States. Especially in the USA, members of the genus are known as beargrasses, some of which are cultivated as ornamental plants.

<i>Grindelia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Grindelia (gumweed) is a genus of plants native to the Americas belonging to the family Asteraceae. The genus was named for Latvian botanist David Hieronymus Grindel, 1776–1836.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sotol</span> Mexican distilled beverage made from some species of asparagus

Sotol is a distilled spirit from the Chihuahuan desert sourced from the plants of the genus Dasylirion, most commonly: Dasylirion wheeleri, Dasylirion durangense,Dasylirion cedrosanum, and Dasylirion leiophyllum, less commonly with Dasylirion texanum and Dasylirion lucidum, plants that grow in the Chihuahuan desert of northern Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona, and west and central Texas. Sotol liquor is known as the state spirit of Chihuahua; however, the drink is also consumed in Durango and Coahuila. Sotol has its own appellation of origin since 2002, and may be produced only in Chihuahua, Coahuila and Durango. There are dozens of commercial examples available. Production of sotol spirits exists outside the Sotol Denomination of Origin in several regions such as Sonora where it is known as Palmilla, Oaxaca (Cucharillo), and the Texas Hill Country. With Sotol on the rise in terms of its popularity, more brands are beginning to come onto the scene.

<i>Dasylirion wheeleri</i> Species of flowering plant

Dasylirion wheeleri is a species of flowering plant in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae), native to arid environments of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.

<i>Hymenoxys</i> Genus of flowering plants

Hymenoxys is a genus of plants in the sunflower family, native to North and South America. It was named by Alexandre Henri Gabriel de Cassini in 1828.

<i>Dasylirion texanum</i> Species of flowering plant

Dasylirion texanum, the Texas sotol and sotol, is a monocot flowering plant native to central and southwestern Texas and in Coahuila state of northeastern Mexico, including the Chihuahuan Desert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coyame del Sotol Municipality</span> Municipality in the Mexican state of Chihuahua

Coyame del Sotol is one of the 67 municipalities of Chihuahua, in northern Mexico. The municipal seat is Coyame. The municipality covers an area of 7,877 km2 (3,041 sq mi).

<i>Frangula betulifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Frangula betulifolia, the birchleaf buckthorn, is a shrub or small tree in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae. It is native in northern Mexico in the Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera, and mountainous, desert regions of the Southwestern United States of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and far west Texas; besides being found in Sonora, Chihuahua and Durango of the Occidental cordillera, a large species locale occurs to the east in Nuevo León.

<i>Dasylirion leiophyllum</i> Species of flowering plant

Dasylirion leiophyllum is a species of flowering plant in the asparagus family known by the common names green sotol, smooth-leaf sotol, and smooth sotol. It is native to North America, where it occurs in Chihuahua and Coahuila in Mexico and New Mexico and western Texas in the United States. It was first collected by Valery Havard in 1880 and was described by William Trelease in 1911.

<i>Dasylirion durangense</i> Species of flowering plant

Dasylirion durangense, common name "sotol," is a perennial plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Durango, Chihuahua and Sonora, Mexico. It is closely related to D. wheeleri S. Wats. and considered a variety of that species by some authors. The plant has a large basal rosette of long stiff leaves over 1 m in length, bearing sharp, curved spines along the margins. The flowering stalk can be up to 3 m tall, bearing small wind-pollinated flowers.

<i>Dasylirion serratifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Dasylirion serratifolium, or the sandpaper sotol, is a plant species in the family Asparagaceae, native to the Mexican states of Hidalgo and Oaxaca. It is often in cultivation as an ornamental in other places, including in Europe.

<i>Yucca treculiana</i> Species of flowering plant

Yucca treculianaCarrière is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Texas, New Mexico and Coahuila. Common names include Spanish dagger, Spanish bayonet and Don Quixote's lance.

<i>Echinocereus arizonicus</i> Species of cactus

Echinocereus arizonicus is a species of cactus native to the Chihuahuan Desert region of Chihuahua, southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona, as well as in the Superstition and Mescal Mountains of Central Arizona at elevations between 1400 and 1900 meters.

<i>Carphochaete bigelovii</i> Species of flowering plant

Carphochaete bigelovii, common name Bigelow's bristlehead, is a species of North American flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. They are native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.

Chaetopappa bellioides, called the pretty lazy daisy, or manyflower leastdaisy, is a North American species of plants in the family Asteraceae. It native to northern Mexico and to the Rio Grande Valley in western and southern Texas.

<i>Cirsium texanum</i> Species of thistle

Cirsium texanum is a species of plant in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae found in North America. Common names include Texas thistle, Texas purple thistle or southern thistle. The species is native to northern Mexico and the southern Great Plains of the south-central United States. It grows in prairies and roadsides.

<i>Schoenocaulon texanum</i> Species of flowering plant

Schoenocaulon texanum, commonly called Texas feathershank, is a species of flowering plant in the bunchflower family (Melanthiaceae). It is native to North America, where it is found in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, and San Luis Potosí in Mexico; and in New Mexico and Texas in the United States.

<i>Symphyotrichum drummondii</i> Species of flowering plant in family Asteraceae

Symphyotrichum drummondii is a species of flowering plant of the family Asteraceae native to the central and eastern United States. The common name Drummond's aster has been used for the species. There also is an accepted variety native to the south-central United States and northeast Mexico named S. drummondiivar. texanum. This variety has the common name of Texas aster. The species is a perennial, herbaceous plant that may reach 120 centimeters in height.

Abronia angustifolia, also known as narrow-leaf sand verbena, is a perennial herbaceous plant recognized for its distinctive narrow, linear leaves, hence the name angustifolia and clusters of small, tubular flowers that are typically pink or purplish.

References

  1. ↑ "Genus: Dasylirion Zucc". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2010-01-19. Archived from the original on 2012-10-11. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
  2. ↑ lectotype designated by A. Rehder, Bibliogr. Cult. Trees Shrubs 645 (1949)
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Dasylirion Zucc. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Dasylirion in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  5. 1 2 Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN   978-1845337315.
  6. 1 2 3 "WFO Plant List | World Flora Online". wfoplantlist.org. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  7. ↑ Hernández-Quintero, J.D.; Reyes-Valdés, M.H.; Mendoza-Rodríguez, D.V.; Gómez-Martínez, M.; Rodríguez-Herrera, R. (2015). "Study of the mitotic and meiotic chromosomes of sotol (Dasylirion cedrosanum Trel.)". Phyton. 84: 107–112. doi: 10.32604/phyton.2015.84.107 .
  8. 1 2 Ruiz-Flores, Sara Isabel; Castro-Castro, Arturo (2024-10-11). "Distribución, riqueza, endemismo y conservación del género Dasylirion (Asparagaceae, Convallarioideae)". Acta Botanica Mexicana (in Spanish) (131). doi:10.21829/abm131.2024.2367. ISSN   2448-7589.
  9. ↑ "Dasylirion wheeleri in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  10. ↑ "Dasylirion texanum in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  11. ↑ "Dasylirion leiophyllum in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  12. 1 2 3 Facciola, Stephen (1990). Cornucopia: a source book of edible plants. Vista, CA: Kampong Publications. ISBN   978-0-9628087-0-8.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Moerman, Daniel E. (1998). Native American ethnobotany. Portland (Or.): Timber press. ISBN   978-0-88192-453-4.
  14. ↑ "El boom del sotol, el licor que estuvo perseguido en México (y la polémica con los productores de Texas por quién puede elaborarlo)". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  15. ↑ "El boom del sotol, el licor que estuvo perseguido en México (y la polémica con los productores de Texas por quién puede elaborarlo)". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  16. ↑ Bruman, Henry J. (July 1944). "The Asiatic Origin of the Huichol Still". Geographical Review. 34 (3): 418. doi:10.2307/209973.
  17. ↑ The Plant List
  18. ↑ "Dasylirion". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 2010-09-19.
  19. 1 2 "GRIN Species Records of Dasylirion". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
  20. ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Dasylirion at Wikimedia Commons Wikispecies-logo.svg Data related to Dasylirion at Wikispecies


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.