| Beaucarnea | |
|---|---|
) | |
| Beaucarnea pliabilis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Nolinoideae |
| Genus: | Beaucarnea Lem. |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| Pincenectitia Lem. | |
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[2]). 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 treated as an independent genus.[3]
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
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| Beaucarnea compacta L.Hern. & Zamudio | Guanajuato | |
) | Beaucarnea goldmanii Rose | Chiapas, Guatemala, El Salvador |
) | Beaucarnea gracilis Lem. | Puebla, Oaxaca |
) | Beaucarnea guatemalensis Rose | Guatemala, Nicaragua |
) | Beaucarnea hiriartiae L.Hern. | México State, Guerrero |
) | Beaucarnea pliabilis (Baker) Rose | Oaxaca, Chiapas, Yucatán Peninsula, Guatemala, Belize |
) | Beaucarnea recurvata Lem. | Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Veracruz |
| Beaucarnea sanctomariana L.Hern. | Oaxaca | |
) | Beaucarnea stricta Lem. | Oaxaca |
| Beaucarnea olsoniiV. Rojas & L.O. Alvarado[4] | Puebla |
)
References
- ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ 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
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.