Nolina erumpens


Nolina erumpens, the foothill beargrass, mesa sacahuista, or sand beargrass, is a member of the subfamily Nolinaceae of family Asparagaceae, native to New Mexico, Texas and adjacent regions of north Mexico.

Description

The 2-2.6 feet long, 0.8 inch wide longitudinally grooved leaves of N. erumpens grow in wide tufts, and are sharp and serrated on the margins with loose-hanging filament-like appendages. The inflorescences are club shaped and rarely grow longer than the leaves, and bear numerous tiny, cream-colored flowers. The plant flowers in the late spring and early summer and the flowers attract ants, wasps and bees. Fruit is capsule-shaped and thin-walled.

Cultivation

Nolina erumpens is extremely rare in amateur private collections but may be found in some botanical gardens among collections of succulent plants.