Nolina erumpens

Nolina erumpens
in Cottonwood Canyon in Texas
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Asparagaceae
Subfamily:	Convallarioideae
Genus:	Nolina
Species:	N. erumpens
Binomial name
Nolina erumpens (Torr.) S.Wats.
Synonyms [1]
Dasylirion erumpensTorr. in W.H.Emory Beaucarnea erumpens(Torr.) Baker

Nolina erumpens, the foothill beargrass, ^[2] mesa sacahuista, ^[3] or sand beargrass, is a member of the subfamily Convallarioideae (formerly Nolinoideae) of family Asparagaceae, native to New Mexico, Texas and adjacent regions of north Mexico. ^[1]

Description

The 2-2.6 feet long, 0.8 inch wide longitudinally grooved leaves of N. erumpens grow in wide tufts, and are sharp and serrated on the margins with loose-hanging filament-like appendages. The inflorescences are club shaped and rarely grow longer than the leaves, and bear numerous tiny, cream-colored flowers. ^[3] The plant flowers in the late spring and early summer and the flowers attract ants, wasps and bees. ^[4] Fruit is capsule-shaped and thin-walled. ^[4]

Cultivation

Nolina erumpens is extremely rare in amateur private collections but may be found in some botanical gardens among collections of succulent plants. ^[5]

References

1. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
2. NRCS. "Nolina erumpens". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 20 July 2015.
3. Flora of North America, Vol. 26 Page 416, 418, Mesa sacahuista, Nolina erumpens (Torrey) S. Watson, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts. 14: 248. 1879.
4. Morey, Roy (2008). Little Big Bend : Common, Uncommon, and Rare Plants of Big Bend National Park. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press. p. 39. ISBN   9780896726130. OCLC   80359503.
5. Complete Encyclopedia of Succulents by Zdenek Jezek and Libor Kunte