Nolina

In the APG III classification system of plant taxonomy, Nolina is a member of the family Asparagaceae, and within this family, Nolina is part of a subfamily, the Convallarioideae. In the past, many members of the Convallarioideae, including Nolina, were placed in the now defunct family Ruscaceae). Former alternative placements include Nolinaceae and Agavaceae. == Description ==

Nolina are perennial plants, with some growing as tufts of leaves arising from near ground level with little or only a short above ground stem, whilst others grow in a tree-like manner forming a woody, leafless caudex or trunk of up to about 2-7m, that with age, may branch to form multiple branches. The shorter species, especially those not forming an above ground stem, usually form colonies, often with many rosettes. The leaves are arranged into rosettes of many long, linear leaves, with the leaves being broader where they meet the stem. The inflorescence consists of a scape (or a bare stem arising from the leaf rosettes) of between 5-250cm length, with panicles of flowers, of 30 to 180cm in length, held along the scape. Each node holds 2-5 functionally unisexual flowers. The tepals are white, cream or light tan. The fruits are capsular, 3-locular, 3-lobed and often inflated. == Species ==

'' in Apalachicola, Florida '' in Baja California Sur, Mexico '' in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California , World Flora Online (WFO) lists the genus Nolina to contain 30 accepted species, with Plants of the World Online (POWO) accepting 35 accepted species. , the 35 accepted species of Nolina accepted by Kew/POWO are as follows: • Nolina brittoniana Nash – Britton's beargrass - Florida • Nolina caxcana Ruiz-Sanchez, P.Carrillo & L.Hern. - Mexico (Zacatecas, Jalisco) • Nolina cespitifera Trel. - Coahuila, Zacatecas, Nuevo León • Nolina cismontana Dice – Peninsular beargrass - southern California • Nolina durangensis Trel. - Chihuahua, Durango • Nolina erumpens (Torr.) S.Watson – Foothill beargrass - Chihuahua, western Texas • Nolina excelsa García-Mend. & E.Solano - Oaxaca • Nolina georgiana Michx. – Georgia beargrass - Georgia, South Carolina • Nolina greenei S.Watson ex Trel. – Woodland beargrass - New Mexico, southern Colorado, northwestern Texas, panhandle of Oklahoma • Nolina hibernica Hochstaetter & D.Donati - Tamaulipas, Nuevo León • Nolina humilis S.Watson – Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí • Nolina interrata Gentry – Dehesa beargrass - San Diego County, northern Baja California • Nolina juncea (Zucc.) J.F.Macbr. - northern Mexico • Nolina lindheimeriana (Scheele) S.Watson – Devil's shoestring, Lindheimer nolina - central Texas • Nolina matapensis Wiggins - Sonora, Chihuahua • Nolina micrantha I.M.Johnst. – Chaparral beargrass - Coahuila, Chihuahua, western Texas, southern New Mexico • Nolina microcarpa S.Watson – Palmilla Sacahuista - Chihuahua, Sonora, Arizona, New Mexico, southwestern Utah • Nolina nelsonii Rose - Tamaulipas • Nolina orbicularis L.Hern. - Mexico (Guanajuato to San Luis Potosi) • Nolina palmeri S.Watson - Baja California • Nolina parryi S.Watson – Parry's beargrass - Arizona, southern California, Baja California, Sonora • Nolina parviflora (Kunth) Hemsl. - central and southern Mexico • Nolina pollyjeanneae Hochstätter - USA (Oklahoma) • Nolina pumila Rose - northern and central Mexico • Nolina rigida Trel. - Mexico; apparently extinct • Nolina robusta L.Hern. - Mexico (Querétaro to San Luis Potosí) • Nolina rodriguezii Ruiz-Sanchez, P.Carrillo & L.Hern. - Mexico (Jalisco) • Nolina texana S.Watson – Texas sacahuista - Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Chihuahua, Coahuila • Nolina watsonii (Baker) Hemsl. - Mexico (Tamaulipas, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí) , the five species accepted by POWO but not currently accepted by WFO are: ==References==