Nolina microcarpa
Nolina lindheimeriana
beargrass, palmilla, sacahuista
devil's shoestring, Lindheimer nolina, Lindheimer's beargrass
blades wiry, lax, concavo-convex, 80–130 cm 5–12 mm, not glaucous;
margins serrulate, with close-set, cartilaginous teeth;
apex lacerate;
inflorescence leaf blades curling distally, 10–50 cm.
blades not wiry, lax, grasslike, flattened, 30–100 cm × (3.5–)4–12 mm, not glaucous;
margins serrulate, with close-set, cartilaginous, corneous teeth;
inflorescence leaf blades 25–60 cm.
3–15 dm, 1.2–2.5 cm diam.
3–7 dm.
paniculate, 4–12 dm × 10–30 cm, surpassing leaves;
bracts caducous, rarely persistent;
bractlets 2–5 mm, slightly erose.
paniculate, 3–10 × 1–3.5 dm;
bracts caducous, 1–15 cm;
bractlets to 2 mm, margins hyaline.
tepals white, 1.5–3.3 mm;
fertile stamens: filaments 1.6–1.9 mm, anthers 1.2–1.4 mm;
infertile stamens: filaments 0.9–1.2 mm, anthers 0.3–0.5 mm; fruiting pedicel erect, proximal to joint 1–2 mm, distal to joint 3–6 mm.
tepals yellow-green, 1.8–2.5 mm, margins hyaline;
fertile stamens: filaments 1.2–1.5 mm, anthers 0.7–1 mm;
pedicel pendulous or recurved, proximal to joint 1–2 mm, distal to joint 2–5(–6) mm.
hyaline, thin-walled, inflated, 4.2–6 × 5.4–6.4 mm, indistinctly notched at apex.
winged, slightly inflated, 6–10 × (6–)7–11 mm, notched basally and apically.
loosely invested in capsules, compressed, 2.2–3.4 × 1.5–3 mm.
loosely invested in capsules, rounded, 3.1–4.2 × 2.4–3.3 mm.
= 38.
Nolina microcarpa
Nolina lindheimeriana
D. S. Correll and M. C. Johnston (1970) included Nolina microcarpa in their flora of Texas; however, they reported that they had seen no specimen from that state, nor have I. This species is found primarily from western New Mexico through central Arizona. It forms large clumps up to 2 m in diameter and inflorescences that generally are exserted from the basal leaf rosettes. Considerable variation occurs, some of it geographically restricted to southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Most such plants from the latter areas have been referred to N. texana or N. caudata, but are here included in N. microcarpa. In the Grand Canyon area, there are variants that have been referred to N. parryi because in width the leaves approach those of N. parryi and they are serrulate. These plants, however, are acaulescent and also are here included in N. microcarpa. B. J. Albee et al. (1988) reported N. microcarpa on rocky slopes in canyons in Washington County, Utah, but the more recent online version of that work excludes it from Utah.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Nolina lindheimeriana is quite infrequent and becoming more so as its habitat is destroyed through development or overgrazing.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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USDA Plants Database
