Beaucarnea
Beaucarnea pliabilis
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Nolinoideae
Genus: Beaucarnea
Lem.[1]
Type species
Beaucarnea recurvata
Synonyms[1]
  • Calibanus Rose

Beaucarnea is a genus of flowering plants native to Mexico and Central America.[1] In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae (formerly the family Ruscaceae[3]). Beaucarnea is sometimes treated as a synonym of the genus Nolina, with the species being then transferred to that genus. However, recent research shows that Beaucarnea should be treated as an independent genus.[4]

The species are small tropical xerophytic trees growing to 6–10 m tall, with a trunk 20–40 cm diameter with a flared base; young plants are single-stemmed, branching only after flowering. The leaves are evergreen, linear, strap-shaped, 0.5-1.8 m long and 1.5–2 cm broad, leathery in texture, with a finely serrated margin. The flowers are produced only on old trees, forming on large panicles 75–110 cm long, the individual flowers numerous but very small (1.5 mm diameter), greenish-white, with six tepals.

Species

Plants of the World Online accepts the following species:[1]

Image Scientific name Distribution
Beaucarnea compacta L.Hern. & Zamudio Guanajuato
Beaucarnea glassiana (L.Hern. & Zamudio) V.Rojas-Piña Guanajuato
Beaucarnea goldmanii Rose Chiapas, Guatemala, El Salvador
Beaucarnea gracilis Lem. Puebla, Oaxaca
Beaucarnea guatemalensis Rose Guatemala, Nicaragua
Beaucarnea hiriartiae L.Hern. Guerrero
Beaucarnea hookeri (Lem.) Baker San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo
Beaucarnea olsonii V. Rojas & L.O. Alvarado[5] Puebla, Oaxaca
Beaucarnea pliabilis (Baker) Rose Campeche, Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Guatemala, Belize
Beaucarnea purpusii Rose Puebla, Oaxaca
Beaucarnea recurvata (K.Koch & Fintelm.) Lem. Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Veracruz
Beaucarnea sanctomariana L.Hern. Oaxaca
Beaucarnea stricta (K.Koch & Fintelm.) Lem. Oaxaca
Beaucarnea stricta trunk

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Beaucarnea". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ Chase, M.W.; Reveal, J.L. & Fay, M.F. (2009), "A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae", Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 161 (2): 132–136, doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00999.x
  4. ^ Rojas-Piña, Vanessa; Olson, Mark E.; Alvarado-Cárdenas, Leonardo O.; Eguiarte, Luis E. (2014-12-22). "Molecular phylogenetics and morphology of Beaucarnea (Ruscaceae) as distinct from Nolina, and the submersion of Calibanus into Beaucarnea". Taxon. 63 (6): 1193–1211. doi:10.12705/636.31.
  5. ^ ROJAS-PIÑA, VANESSA; ALVARADO-CÁRDENAS, LEONARDO O. (2016-11-25). "Beaucarnea olsonii (Ruscaceae), a new species of ponytail palm from southwestern Puebla, Mexico". Phytotaxa. 286 (1): 13. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.286.1.2. ISSN 1179-3163.
Categories