Hesperoyucca

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Hesperoyucca
Yucca whipplei 2005.jpg
Hesperoyucca whipplei
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Agavoideae
Genus: Hesperoyucca
(Engelmann) Baker
Synonyms [1]

Yucca sect. HesperoyuccaEngelm.

Hesperoyucca is a small genus of two recognized species of flowering plants closely related to, and recently split from, Yucca , which is in the century plant subfamily within the asparagus family. [2]

Contents

Description

Hesperoyucca is distinct from Yucca in having loculicidally dehiscent fruit and a scape more than 2.5 cm diameter with reflexed (not erect) bracts. The stigma is capitate, whereas those of Yucca split into three reflexed lobes. The glutinous pollen is released in a sticky mass; that of Yucca species is released as single grains. [3] The genus is native to Mexico and the southwestern United States. [4]

Species [5] [6]
  1. Hesperoyucca newberryi (McKelvey) Clary (syn. H. whipplei subsp. newberryi, Yucca newberryi ) - northwestern Arizona
  2. Hesperoyucca peninsularis (McKelvery) Clary (syn. Yucca whipplei ssp. eremica) – peninsular candle – Baja California, Baja California Sur
  3. Hesperoyucca whipplei (Torr.) Trel. (syn. Yucca whipplei) – chaparral yucca, our Lord's candle or Spanish bayonet – southern California, Baja California

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of Hesperoyucca is complex and somewhat controversial. [3] [7] Originally, in 1871, George Engelmann ranked "Hespero-Yucca" as a section of Yucca (with only one member, Yucca whipplei; all other Yucca species he placed in section Eu-Yucca, with three subgroups). In 1895 he revised his classification of Yucca, to four equal groups, of which Hesperoyucca was one. In 1876, John Gilbert Baker gave it the rank of subgenus; in 1892 he noted that it "had better be kept as a genus distinct from Yucca" (but actually retained the name Y. whippleii [sic]). [3]

Some authorities accept this as having erected the genus Hesperoyucca, but others credit this to William Trelease, who printed a taxonomic description in 1893, formally recognising Hesperoyucca as being at the same rank as, but separate from, Yucca. [3] [8] It has taken recent DNA analysis to confirm that they are indeed genetically distinct from Yucca. [3]

The splitting of Hesperoyucca from Yucca is still not widely reflected in available literature or online (for example, the British Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Royal Horticultural Society websites do not recognise the name as current). [9] [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Yucca</i> Genus of flowering plants belonging to the agave and Joshua tree subfamily

Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40–50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the Americas and the Caribbean in a wide range of habitats, from humid rainforest and wet subtropical ecosystems to the hot and dry (arid) deserts and savanna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agavoideae</span> Subfamily of plants

Agavoideae is a subfamily of monocot flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, order Asparagales. It has previously been treated as a separate family, Agavaceae. The group includes many well-known desert and dry-zone types, such as the agaves and yuccas. About 640 species are placed in around 23 genera; they are widespread in the tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions of the world.

<i>Yucca baccata</i> Yucca with banana-shaped fruit

Yucca baccata is a common species of yucca native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, from southeastern California north to Utah, east to western Texas and south to Sonora and Chihuahua. It is also reported in the wild in Colombia.

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

Yucca pallida, sometimes called pale yucca, is a species of yucca native to Northern Mexico and parts of the blackland prairies of northern and central Texas, and notable for its light-colored leaves that range from a pale blue-gray to sage-green in color.

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

Yucca schidigera, also known as the Mojave yucca or Spanish dagger, is a flowering plant native to the southwest deserts of North America.

<i>Hesperoyucca whipplei</i> Species of flowering plant of the Hesperoyucca genus endemic to California and Baja California

Hesperoyucca whipplei, the chaparral yucca, our Lord's candle, Spanish bayonet, Quixote yucca or foothill yucca, is a species of flowering plant closely related to, and formerly usually included in, the genus Yucca. It is native to southwest communities of North America.

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

Yucca filamentosa, Adam's needle and thread, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae native to the southeastern United States. Growing to 3 metres tall, it is an evergreen shrub valued in horticulture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastal sage scrub</span> Shrubland plant community of California

Coastal sage scrub, also known as coastal scrub, CSS, or soft chaparral, is a low scrubland plant community of the California coastal sage and chaparral subecoregion, found in coastal California and northwestern coastal Baja California. It is within the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.

<i>Yucca gloriosa</i> Species of shrub

Yucca gloriosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to the southeastern United States. Growing to 2.5 m (8 ft), it is an evergreen shrub. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental for its architectural qualities, and has reportedly become established in warmer climates in the wild in various parts of the world.

<i>Yucca gloriosa <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> tristis</i> Variety of flowering plant

Yucca gloriosa var. tristis, known as curve-leaf yucca, curved-leaved Spanish-dagger or pendulous yucca, is a variety of Yucca gloriosa. It is often grown as an ornamental plant, and is native to the southeastern United States, from coastal southeastern Virginia south through Florida and west to Texas. In contrast to Y. gloriosa var. tristis, the leaves of Y. gloriosa var. gloriosa are hard stiff, erect and narrower.

Spanish bayonet or Spanish dagger is a common name for several plants and may refer to:

<i>Galvezia</i> Genus of plants

Galvezia is a genus of perennial plants which are native to western South America and the Galapagos Islands. The genus is currently placed in the family Plantaginaceae, having been formerly classified under Scrophulariaceae. It is named in honour of José de Gálvez, a colonial official in New Spain during the 1700s.

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

Yucca rostrata also called beaked yucca, is a tree-like plant belonging to the genus Yucca. The species is native to Texas, and the Chihuahua and Coahuila regions of Mexico. This species of Yucca occurs in areas that are arid with little annual rainfall.

Yucca is a genus in the plant family Asparagaceae containing species commonly known as yuccas.

<i>Hooveria parviflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Hooveria parviflora is a species of perennial herb known by the common name smallflower soap plant. It is a monocot, native to coastal southern California and Baja California, where it is a member of the coastal sage scrub flora. It resembles a smaller version of Chlorogalum pomeridianum, with wavy leaves and white flowers that open during the day.

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

Yucca flaccida, commonly called Adam's needle or weak-leaf yucca, is a species of flowering plant in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae). It is native to south-central and southeastern North America, from the lower Great Plains eastward to the Atlantic seaboard in Virginia, south through Florida and the Gulf states. Its natural habitat is in sandy open woodlands and fields. It is not considered to be threatened by the IUCN.

<i>Yucca angustissima</i> Species of flowering plants belonging to the agave, yucca, and Joshua tree subfamily

Yucca angustissima, the narrowleaf yucca, is a plant in the family Agavaceae, known as the "narrow-leaved yucca." It is native to Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, but grown elsewhere as an ornamental.

<i>Yucca aloifolia</i> Species of flowering plants belonging to the agave, yucca, and Joshua tree subfamily

Yucca aloifolia is the type species for the genus Yucca. Common names include aloe yucca, dagger plant, and Spanish bayonet. It grows in sandy soils, especially on sand dunes along the coast.

<i>Hesperoyucca newberryi</i> Species of flowering plant

Hesperoyucca newberryi, commonly known as the Grand Canyon Quixote plant or Newberry's yucca, is a plant species endemic to Arizona. It is found only in Mohave and Coconino Counties, on the walls of canyons near the Colorado River.

<i>Hesperoyucca peninsularis</i> Species of flowering plant

Hesperoyucca peninsularis, the peninsular candle or lechuguilla, is a plant species endemic to the Baja California peninsula. It is a perennial forming a rosette. It is semelparous.

References

  1. Tropicos, Hesperoyucca (Engelm.) Baker
  2. Stevens, P.F., Angiosperm Phylogeny Website: Asparagales: Agavoideae
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Agavaceae.com – page includes a key toYucca and the three recognised species of Hesperoyucca
  4. Flora of North America, Vol. 26 Page 439, Hesperoyucca (Engelmann) Baker, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew. 1892: 8. 1892.
  5. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  6. Clary, Karen Husum. 2001. The genus Hesperoyucca (Agavaceae) in the western United States and Mexico: New nomenclatural combinations. Sida 19(4): 839-847.
  7. Flora of North America: Hesperoyucca
  8. IPNI International Plant Names Index
  9. RBG Kew search results for Hesperaloe [ permanent dead link ]
  10. online Plant Finder RHS Royal Horticultural Society