Nolina microcarpa
Nolina texana
beargrass, palmilla, sacahuista
bunchgrass, palmilla texana, sacahuista, Texas beargrass, Texas sacahuista, Texas sacahuiste
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 wiry, stiff, triangular, slightly concavo-convex toward base, 40–90 cm × 2–4(–7) mm, not glaucous;
margins entire, rarely remotely serrate with widely separated, noncartilaginous teeth, tips dying;
inflorescence leaf blades curling distally, 10–50 cm.
3–15 dm, 1.2–2.5 cm diam.
curling distally, 0.5–2 dm.
paniculate, 4–12 dm × 10–30 cm, surpassing leaves;
bracts caducous, rarely persistent;
bractlets 2–5 mm, slightly erose.
paniculate, rarely purple, 2.5–7 dm × 5–17 cm, held completely or partially within rosettes;
main rachis and divisions thick, rigid, lateral branches ascending;
bracts persistent, to 10–40 cm;
bractlets laciniate, 1–2 mm.
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, 2.5–3.5 mm;
fertile stamens: filaments 0.9–1.4 mm, anthers 0.8–1 mm;
infertile stamens: filaments 0.6–0.8 mm, anthers 0.4–0.5 mm; fruiting pedicel ascending, thick, articulate near base, noticeably dilated into perianth, proximal to joint 2.5–6 mm, distal to joint 1.5–2 mm.
hyaline, thin-walled, inflated, 4.2–6 × 5.4–6.4 mm, indistinctly notched at apex.
thin-walled, inflated, 3–4 × 4.5–5.5(–8) mm.
loosely invested in capsules, compressed, 2.2–3.4 × 1.5–3 mm.
closely invested in capsules, rounded, bursting ovary walls, 2.6–3.4 mm diam. 2n = 38.
= 38.
Nolina microcarpa
Nolina texana
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 texana is centered primarily on the Edwards Plateau west through the trans-Pecos region of Texas. Nolina texana var. compacta is not recognized as distinct from var. texana. They have the same distributions. Variety compacta has compact inflorescences with functionally pistillate flowers, which is typical of the functionally pistillate plants of var. texana. Those plants with elongate secondary branches have functionally staminate flowers and are characteristic of both varieties. The dark, round seeds are quite distinct in the open fruit chambers on inflorescences hidden within the basal leaves. Some plants from the high plains of eastern New Mexico, northwestern Oklahoma, and southern Colorado were considered to be N. texana (see 7. N. greenei). Further study of these populations may help determine if they truly are a part of this complex.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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