Dasylirion

Dasylirion are perennial and often long lived plants. With age, most form erect or reclining trunks that vary in height, depending on the species. The leaves blades are long-linear, evergreen and numerous, and are arranged into rosettes, living for several years and remaining persistent even after dying leading to the formation of a skirt around the plant. Some species have sharp and/or curved prickles along the leaf margins. == Native distribution ==

All 23 accepted species of Dasylirion are native to Mexico, with the genus covering much of the country from the border with the Southwestern United States to the border of Oaxaca in the south. Across Mexico, Dasylirion species are native to 20 states, with the greatest numbers found in San Luis Potosí, followed by Chihuahua, Coahuila and Zacatecas. The typical habitat for most species are areas of transition between xerophilous shrublands and coniferous and Quercus (or oak) forests, such as the Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests. The greatest diversity in the genus is concentrated in the Sierra Madre Oriental where two regions of species richness are found (in common with both being centers of endemism), the first in the Gran Sierra Plegada, and the second in the arid zone between the states of Querétaro and Hidalgo. Dasylirion texanum, native to Texas as well as Coahuila, Mexico; and Dasylirion leiophyllum, native to New Mexico, Texas, as well as Chihuahua, and Coahuila in Mexico. == Human use ==

Dasylirion was once a major food source in the drier regions of the Southwest USA and Mexico. The flowering stems can also be roasted, boiled or eaten raw. After baking, the crown of the plant is peeled, crushed and mixed with water before being fermented. == Species ==

As of June 2025, the genus Dasylirion includes 23 accepted species. ==Formerly placed here==

• Nolina bigelovii (Torr.) S.Watson (as D. bigelovii Torr.) ==References==