Beaucarnea gracilis

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Beaucarnea gracilis
Gardenology-IMG 5135 hunt10mar.jpg
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Nolinoideae
Genus: Beaucarnea
Species:
B. gracilis
Binomial name
Beaucarnea gracilis
Synonyms[3]
  • Beaucarnea oedipus Rose
  • Dasylirion gracile (Lem.) J.F.Macbr. nom. illeg.
  • Nolina gracilis (Lem.) Cif. & Giacom.
  • Nolina histrix Trel.

Beaucarnea gracilis is an attractive member of the subfamily Nolinaceae of the family Asparagaceae native to partial-desert areas in Mexico. Its name "gracilis", meaning "slender", is misleading, as its trunk is especially bulbous. It was formerly known as Nolina gracilis.

Description[]

As a seedling, B. gracilis grows as a tiny, bark-covered ball of succulent "trunk", growing tufts of long, extremely narrow leaves. In habitat, this forms a ground rosette of over 3 feet in diameter. The trunk becomes extremely large and grows a sparse coverage of short and sparsely branching branches which can grow up to 20–23 feet. Thick tufts of leaves of up to 3.3 feet long and 0.4-0.8 inches long grow along the tops of these branches. The flowers are tiny, yellow and white and grow in vast numbers, but only on very old individuals.

Cultivation[]

B. gracilis is extremely easy to cultivate, growing rapidly in even very inhospitable environments and pots, and thus makes an excellent pot plant, willing to grow happily in a wide range of indoor settings. It prefers sandy soil, sunny position and infrequent watering, and does well in a cool wintering.

References[]

  1. ^ Fuentes, A.C.D.; Martínez Salas, E. & Samain, M.-S (2020). "Beaucarnea gracilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T136808246A137376199. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species".
  • The Complete Encyclopedia of Succulents by Zdenek Jezek and Libor Kunte
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