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Nolina texana

(Bunch Grass, Devils Shoestring, Sacahuista, Texas Bear-Grass, Texas Bears Grass, Texas Sacahuista)

Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Bunch Grass, Bunch-Grass, Devils Shoestring, Sacahuista, Texas Bear-Grass, Texas Bears Grass, Texas Sacahuista

Common Names in Spanish:

Palmilla Fina, Palmilla Texana, Sacahuista

Description

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Genus Nolina

Plants perennial , cespitose or arborescent , acaulescent to short-caulescent, scapose , from branched, woody caudices or bulblike structures; usually forming colonies with few to many rosettes. Stems to 25 dm. Leaves forming rosettes; blade linear , not rigid or fibrous , bases broadly expanding, margins serrulate or entire . Scape 0.5-25 dm. Inflorescences paniculate , rarely racemose, 3-18 dm; bracts caducous or occasionally persistent . Flowers 2-5 per node, functionally unisexual , pistillate flowers with staminodes, staminate flowers with reduced pistils; tepals white to cream or tan, 1.3-5 mm, apex glandular ; ovary superior; pedicel jointed near middle . Fruits capsular , 3-locular, 3-lobed, thin-walled or sometimes firm-walled, often inflated , mostly notched at base and apex or rounded distally; dehiscent , often splitting irregularly. Seeds closely or loosely invested in capsules, globose , turgid . x = 19.

Species ca. 30: North America (se and sw United States), n and nc Mexico.

In areas of west Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, the species of Nolina are not always well defined. There is variation in the presence or absence of marginal teeth on the leaves and placement of the inflorescences within or beyond the leaves. Collectors should take good notes about the plant habit and morphology and include these with their collections . Further study is needed on Nolina throughout its range . Some species of Nolina are extremely infrequent. Some are on federal and/or state rare and endangered species lists , and possibly some of those listed with a state should be listed federally.

J. C. Dice (1988) studied section Arborescens of Nolina in the United States, and presented extensive descriptions and discussion of N. bigelovii, N. parryi, N. cismontana, and N. interrata.William J. Hess "Nolina". in Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 413, 414, 415, 416, 419. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Physical Description

Habit: Subshrub , Shrub

Flowers: Flower Color: near white, white

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 18-24" tall.

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Culture: Space 24-36" apart.

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.

Moisture: Drought Tolerance: High

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Nolina affinis Trel.
  2. Nolina texana S. Wats.
  3. Nolina texana S. Watson, 1879
  4. Nolina texana var. compacta (Trel.) I.M. Johnston

Notes

Publishing author : I.M.Johnst. Publication : J. Arnold Arbor . 24: 90 1943 Basionym author: (Trel.) Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 14:248. 1879

Name verified on 19-Mar-1998 by ARS Systematic Botanists.

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Nolina

There are approximately 54 species in this genus:

N. altamiranoana · N. arenicola (Sand Bear-Grass) · N. atopocarpa (Florida Bear-Grass) · N. beldingi · N. beldingi var. deserticola · N. beldingii · N. bigelovii (Bigelow Beargrass) · N. bigelovii parryi · N. bigelovii var. bigelovii · N. bigelovii wolfii · N. brittoniana (Britton's Bear-Grass) · N. caudata · N. cespitifera · N. cismontana (California Beargrass) · N. durangensis · N. elegans · N. erumpens (Beargrass) · N. erumpens var. compacta · N. georgiana (Georgia Bear-Grass) · N. gracilis · N. greenei (   ) · N. greenii · N. guatemalensis (Curly Nolina) · N. hartwegiana · N. histrix · N. hookeri · N. humilis · N. interrata (Dehesa Beargrass) · N. javanica · N. juncea · N. lindheimerana · N. lindheimeriana (Beargrass) · N. loderi · N. longifolia (Oaxacan Tree Nolina) · N. matapensis (Sonoran Tree Bear Grass) · N. micrantha (Bear Grass) · N. microcarpa (Basket Grass) · N. nelsoni · N. nelsonii (Blue Nolina) · N. palmeri · N. palmeri var. brandegeei · N. paradoxa · N. parryi (Bear Grass) · N. parryi wolfii · N. parviflora · N. pliabilis · N. pumila · N. recurvata (Elephant's Foot Tree) · N. recurvata var. albomarginata 'Yellow Star' (Pony Tail Palm) · N. rigida · N. stricta · N. texana (Bunch Grass) · N. tuberculata · N. watsonii

Bibliography

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More Info

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 28, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

Last Revised: 2008-09-28