Hesperaloe
TaxonHesperaloe
AuthorityEngelm.[1]

Hesperaloe (false yucca)[2] is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae.[1] It contains perennial yucca-like plants with long, narrow leaves produced in a basal rosette and flowers borne on long panicles or racemes. The species are native to the arid parts of Texas in the United States and Mexico and are sometimes cultivated as xerophytic ornamental plants.[3]

The genus name is derived from the Greek word έσπερος (hesperos), meaning "western," and aloe, which the plants resemble.[4] The genus is not closely related to Aloe, the latter belonging to a different family (Asphodelaceae).

Species

Accepted species:[5][6]

ImageScientific nameDistribution
Hesperaloe campanulata G.StarrNuevo León
Hesperaloe chiangii (G.D.Starr) B.L.TurnerSan Luis Potosí
Hesperaloe engelmannii Krauskopf ex BakerTexas
Hesperaloe funifera (K.Koch) Trel.Coahuila, Nuevo León, Texas, Sonora, San Luis Potosí
Hesperaloe malacophylla Hochstätter & Mart.-Aval.Tamaulipas
Hesperaloe nocturna GentrySonora
Hesperaloe parviflora (Torr.) J.M.Coult. – Red YuccaCoahuila, Texas
Hesperaloe tenuifolia G.StarrSonora

References

  1. ^ "Genus: Hesperaloe Engelm.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
  2. ^
  3. ^ Flora of North America, Vol. 26 Page 441, Hesperaloe Engelmann, Botany (Fortieth Parallel). 497. 1871.
  4. ^ Robbins, R. Laurie. "Hesperaloe Engelmann, Botany (Fortieth Parallel). 497. 1871.". Flora of North America. eFloras.org. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
  5. ^ "GRIN Species Records of Hesperaloe". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  6. ^