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]
| Beaucarnea | |
|---|---|
| |
| Beaucarnea pliabilis | |
Scientific 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] | |
| |
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
editPlants 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 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Beaucarnea". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ 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.