Nolina

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Beargrass
Nolina bigelovii.jpg
Nolina bigelovii
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Nolinoideae
Genus: Nolina
Michx. [1]
Synonyms [2]

RouliniaBrongn.

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. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Especially in the USA, members of the genus are known as beargrasses, [8] some of which are cultivated as ornamental plants.

Contents

Nolina species grow large rosettes of many leaves, with many species forming large, erect trunks, with some species branching to contain multiple rosettes of leaves. They are typically large plants, and are dioecious, with male and female flowers being produced on different plants. [4] [5] [9]

The genus is named for 18th century French arboriculturist Abbé C. P. Nolin. [4]

Classification

In the APG III classification system of plant taxonomy, Nolina is a member of the Asparagaceae family of plants, and within this family, Nolina is part of a subfamily, the Nolinoideae. In the past, many members of the Nolinoideae, including Nolina, were placed in the now defunct Ruscaceae family). [10] Former alternative placements include Nolinaceae and Agavaceae. [4]

Previously, some botanists have included the genus Beaucarnea in Nolina, and over time, multiple species of both genera have been moved back and forth between the two genera. More recent molecular phylogenetic research found that Beaucarnea and Nolina are well supported by DNA and morphological evidence as being two distinct genera. [11]

Description

Nolina are perennial plants, with some growing as tufts of leaves arising from near ground level with little or only a short above ground stem, whilst others grow in a tree-like manner forming a woody, leafless caudex or trunk of up to about 2-3m, that with age, may branch to form multiple branches. The shorter species, especially those not forming an above ground stem, usually form colonies, often with many rosettes. The leaves are arranged into rosettes of many long, linear leaves, with the leaves being broader where they meet the stem. [12]

The inflorescence consists of a scape (or a bare stem arising from the leaf rosettes) of between 5-250cm length, with panicles of flowers, of 30 to 180cm in length, held along the scape. Each node holds 2-5 functionally unisexual flowers. The tepals are white, cream or light tan. The fruits are capsular, 3-locular, 3-lobed and often inflated. [12]

Species

As of November 2024, World Flora Online (WFO) lists the genus Nolina to contain 30 accepted species, [13] with Plants of the World Online (POWO) recognising 35 accepted species. [3]

Nolina longifolia Nolina longifolia-1.jpg
Nolina longifolia

As of November 2024, the 35 accepted species of Nolina accepted by Kew/POWO are as follows: [3]

  1. Nolina arenicola Correll Trans-Pecos beargrass - western Texas
  2. Nolina atopocarpa Bartlett Florida beargrass - Florida`
  3. Nolina azureogladiata D.Donati - Oaxaca
  4. Nolina beldingi Brandegee - Baja California Sur
  5. Nolina bigelovii (Torr.) S.Watson Bigelow's nolina - Sonora, Arizona, southern Nevada, southern California
  6. Nolina brandegeei(Trel.) L.Hern. - Mexico (Baja California) [14]
  7. Nolina brittoniana Nash Britton's beargrass - Florida
  8. Nolina caxcanaRuiz-Sanchez, P.Carrillo & L.Hern. - Mexico (Zacatecas, Jalisco) [15]
  9. Nolina cespitifera Trel. - Coahuila, Zacatecas, Nuevo León
  10. Nolina cismontana Dice Peninsular beargrass - southern California
  11. Nolina durangensis Trel. - Chihuahua, Durango
  12. Nolina erumpens (Torr.) S.Watson Foothill beargrass - Chihuahua, western Texas
  13. Nolina excelsa García-Mend. & E.Solano - Oaxaca
  14. Nolina georgiana Michx. Georgia beargrass - Georgia, South Carolina
  15. Nolina greenei S.Watson ex Trel. Woodland beargrass - New Mexico, southern Colorado, northwestern Texas, panhandle of Oklahoma
  16. Nolina hibernica Hochstaetter & D.Donati - Tamaulipas, Nuevo León
  17. Nolina humilis S.Watson - Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí
  18. Nolina interrata Gentry Dehesa beargrass - San Diego County, northern Baja California
  19. Nolina juncea (Zucc.) J.F.Macbr. - northern Mexico
  20. Nolina lindheimeriana (Scheele) S.Watson Devil's shoestring, Lindheimer nolina - central Texas
  21. Nolina matapensis Wiggins - Sonora, Chihuahua
  22. Nolina micrantha I.M.Johnst. Chaparral beargrass - Coahuila, Chihuahua, western Texas, southern New Mexico
  23. Nolina microcarpa S.Watson Palmilla Sacahuista - Chihuahua, Sonora, Arizona, New Mexico, southwestern Utah
  24. Nolina nelsonii Rose - Tamaulipas
  25. Nolina orbicularisL.Hern. - Mexico (Guanajuato to San Luis Potosi) [16]
  26. Nolina palmeri S.Watson - Baja California
  27. Nolina parryi S.Watson Parry's beargrass - Arizona, southern California, Baja California, Sonora
  28. Nolina parviflora (Kunth) Hemsl. - central and southern Mexico
  29. Nolina pollyjeanneaeHochstätter - USA (Oklahoma) [17]
  30. Nolina pumila Rose - northern and central Mexico
  31. Nolina rigida Trel. - Mexico; apparently extinct
  32. Nolina robustaL.Hern. - Mexico (Querétaro to San Luis Potosí) [18]
  33. Nolina rodrigueziiRuiz-Sanchez, P.Carrillo & L.Hern. - Mexico (Jalisco) [19]
  34. Nolina texana S.Watson Texas sacahuista - Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Chihuahua, Coahuila
  35. Nolina watsonii(Baker) Hemsl. - Mexico (Tamaulipas, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí) [20]

As of November 2024, the five species recognised by POWO not currently accepted by WFO are: [13] [3]

Formerly placed here

Related Research Articles

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

Nolinoideae is a monocot subfamily of the family Asparagaceae in the APG III system of 2009. It used to be treated as a separate family, Ruscaceae s.l. The family name is derived from the generic name of the type genus, Nolina.

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

Hechtia is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, and is the sole genus of the subfamily Hechtioideae, containing 75 species. Its species are native to Mexico, Central America, and Texas.

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

Dasylirion is a genus of succulent, rosette-forming plants in the Asparagaceae family. Most species are native to mountainous arid regions of Mexico, with some species also native to the Southwestern United States. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asparagaceae</span> Family of plants

Asparagaceae, known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, Asparagus officinalis. This family includes both common garden plants as well as common houseplants. The garden plants include asparagus, yucca, bluebell, and hosta, and the houseplants include snake plant, corn cane, spider plant, and plumosus fern.

<i>Nolina parryi</i> Species of flowering plant

Nolina parryi is a flowering plant that is native to Baja California, southern California and Arizona.

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

Beaucarnea is a genus of flowering plants native to Mexico and Central America. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae. Beaucarnea is sometimes treated as a synonym of the genus Nolina, with the species being then transferred to that genus. However, recent research shows that Beaucarnea should be treated as an independent genus.

<i>Bouteloua</i> Genus of grasses

Bouteloua is a genus of plants in the grass family Poaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as grama grass.

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

Hedeoma is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to North and South America. They are commonly known as false pennyroyals.

<i>Gonolobus</i> Genus of plants

Gonolobus is a genus of plant in family Apocynaceae, first described in 1803. It is native to South America, Central America, Mexico, the West Indies, and the southern United States.

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

Nolina bigelovii is a flowering plant native to the Southwestern United States, California, and northwest Mexico. It grows in the driest desert areas and at elevations up to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).

<i>Nolina interrata</i> Species of flowering plant

Nolina interrata is a rare species of flowering plant known by the common names Dehesa nolina and Dehesa beargrass. It is known from about ten occurrences in central San Diego County, California, and fewer than 100 individual plants on land across the border in Baja California. The plant was first described in 1946 when found at the type locality near El Cajon, California, and all the individuals known in California are located within a six-square-mile area there. Although rare, numbering about 9,000 plants total in existence, the species is relatively well protected in its habitat and a proposal for federal protected status was withdrawn.

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

Calibanus was a genus of two species of flowering plants, both evergreen succulents from dry areas of northeastern Mexico.The genus was subsumed in the genus Beaucarnea in the year 2014. The APG III classification system places Beaucarnea in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae The now-defunct Calibanus was formerly included in the Agavaceae but was separated from them, for it is polycarpic and dioecious. Its name refers to the monster Caliban, an antagonist in Shakespeare's The Tempest.

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

Hemiphylacus is a genus of flowering plants endemic to Mexico. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Asparagoideae.

<i>Beaucarnea gracilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Beaucarnea gracilis is a species of flowering plant in the Asparagaceae family. It is native to Puebla, and northern parts of Oaxaca, in Mexico, where it is endemic to the Tehuacán Valley matorral. It grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

<i>Nolina erumpens</i> Species of flowering plant

Nolina erumpens, the foothill beargrass, mesa sacahuista, or sand beargrass, is a member of the subfamily Nolinaceae of family Asparagaceae, native to New Mexico, Texas and adjacent regions of north Mexico.

<i>Quercus chihuahuensis</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus chihuahuensis, the Chihuahua oak, is a species of oak in the beech family. It is native to the region from extreme western Texas west to Sonora, Mexico, and south to Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí. It grows mostly at mid elevations, from 400–2,000 metres above sea level, in forests mixed with various pines and other oaks. It is one of the dominant species of the Sierra Madre Occidental in Chihuahua and Sonora.

Beaucarnea glassiana is a species of flowering plant belonging to the genus Beaucarnea, which is a member of the Asparagaceae family. Beaucarnea glassiana forms a caudex geophyte and is native to the Mexican state of Guanajuato where it grows in areas of tropical deciduous forest and submontane central Mexican matorral in the Sierra Madre Oriental near Xichú.

<i>Nolina beldingii</i> Species of plant native to Mexico

Nolina beldingii is a species of perennial flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae known commonly as the Cape nolina or Belding's beargrass. It is an arborescent monocot growing up to 7 metres (23 ft) high, with fissured bark on a trunk topped with leaf rosettes. The narrow leaves are up to 1.15 m (3.8 ft) long, and are used as thatching by local peoples. This species is endemic to Baja California Sur in Mexico, where it grows only in the highest reaches of the Sierra de la Laguna. It is found primarily in oak forests at elevations over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) along rocky granite outcrops.

<i>Nolina texana</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae

Nolina texana, the Texas sacahuiste or Texas beargrass, is a plant in the asparagus family that resembles a large clump of grass. It grows in the south central United States and Northern Mexico. They are sometimes grown as a garden plant in xeriscape or native plant gardens.

References

  1. "Genus: Nolina Michx". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2010-01-19. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
  2. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Nolina Michx. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Hess, William J. "Nolina Michaux, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 207. 1803". Flora of North America. eFloras.org. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
  5. 1 2 Hochstätter, F. (2010). The genus Nolina (Nolinaceae). Piante Grasse 2010(1, Suppl.): 1-48.
  6. Biota of North America Program, 2013 county distribution maps
  7. Trelease, William. 1911. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 50(200)
  8. "Nolina". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 2011-08-06.
  9. Hernández-Sandoval, Luis; Rebman, Jon P. (2018). "The Genus Nolina (Asparagaceae) of the Baja California Peninsula, and the Recognition of a New Species Combination". Systematic Botany. 43 (3): 717–733. doi:10.1600/036364418X697436. S2CID   91615592.
  10. Chase, M.W.; Reveal, J.L. & Fay, M.F. (2009), "A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae", Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 161 (2): 132–136, doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00999.x
  11. Rojas-Piña, Vanessa; Olson, Mark E.; Alvarado-Cárdenas, Leonardo O.; Eguiarte, Luis E. (2014). "Molecular phylogenetics and morphology of Beaucarnea (Ruscaceae) as distinct from Nolina, and the submersion of Calibanus into Beaucarnea". Taxon. 63 (6): 1193–1211. doi:10.12705/636.31. ISSN   1996-8175.
  12. 1 2 "Nolina in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  13. 1 2 "WFO (2024): Nolina Michx. Plant list. World Flora Online". wfoplantlist.org. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  14. 1 2 "Nolina brandegeei (Trel.) L.Hern. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  15. 1 2 "Nolina caxcana Ruiz-Sanchez, P.Carrillo & L.Hern. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  16. 1 2 "Nolina orbicularis L.Hern. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  17. "Nolina pollyjeanneae Hochstätter | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  18. 1 2 "Nolina robusta L.Hern. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  19. 1 2 "Nolina rodriguezii Ruiz-Sanchez, P.Carrillo & L.Hern. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  20. "Nolina watsonii (Baker) Hemsl. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  21. "GRIN Species Records of Nolina". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2011-03-31.