Nolina erumpens
Nolina erumpens, the foothill beargrass,[2] mesa sacahuista,[3] or sand beargrass, is a member of the subfamily Nolinaceae of family Asparagaceae, native to New Mexico, Texas and adjacent regions of north Mexico.[1]
| Nolina erumpens | |
|---|---|
 | |
| in Cottonwood Canyon in Texas | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Nolinoideae |
| Genus: | Nolina |
| Species: | N. erumpens |
| Binomial name | |
| Nolina erumpens (Torr.) S.Wats. | |
| Synonyms[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
- Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Nolina erumpens". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- Flora of North America, Vol. 26 Page 416, 418, Mesa sacahuista, Nolina erumpens (Torrey) S. Watson, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts. 14: 248. 1879.
- 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.
- Complete Encyclopedia of Succulents by Zdenek Jezek and Libor Kunte